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Welcome everyone. Happy Resurrection Sunday. Um, I'm sure many of you probably grew up grew up doing this.

If you haven't, what we're going to practice uh tonight, probably a few uh several more times throughout tonight is I will say, "He is risen." And you respond, "He is risen indeed." So, he is risen. >> He is indeed. >> He is risen.

>> He is risen indeed. Amen. Amen.

All right, we're about it'll be a really fun Sunday night. I'm really excited. And um we're going to get started here in just a little bit.

I just want to make uh a few announcements and then we're going to we're going to dive right in into celebrating and uh rejoicing over the victory of the cross uh the resurrected Christ tonight. So, um, first thing I want to announce, uh, next Sunday, next Sunday, we're going to have, um, some of you may know Cali Haliganthal. Um, she's going to be here and she's going to she's going to lead worship with our team.

And then Alison and Antonio will be back as well, um, playing their heavenly sound, uh, in our house. And, um, we just wanted to, we wanted to kind of put that on your radar uh, for next week. we'll be gathering here loving Jesus together and worshiping and um having some of our dear friends with us.

So um that will be next Sunday night. Um the other thing that you're probably going to start seeing a lot more of now is uh is conference that's coming up in August, August 13th through the 16th. And so um we're going to be gathering Yeah.

Um we're going to be gathering uh this August like we do every year uh down in Tacoma again. And um we just wanted to we wanted you to keep this on on your radar. The conference is the finding actually started with a conference.

So before we were at church or Bible studies or anything else uh that God is currently doing through us uh it was a conference to begin with. And um these conferences have really become a place where um it's really become a point where God is uh exporting what he's doing in Seattle to the people who fly in from really all over the world. I think last year we had I think 18 nations flying in to be in the room and to love Jesus with us.

I think there was like 38 or 42 something like that states uh people from from 38 or 42 states something like that. And so, uh, they're just they're a big part of our DNA of who we are is gathering some of God's dearest friends in the church, uh, here in our city and loving Jesus together. And so, we would we just love to see you there, uh, with us.

That's coming up in in August. And then the last thing we wanted to keep on your radar is uh, or we wanted to remind if uh, we do we do young adult Bible studies every Tuesday night and um, we gather really just around 18 to 30ish gather at a coffee shop and we just love Jesus together, study the scriptures um and really it's really our disciplehip arm of the ministry where we're able to to grow uh people into or really I should say we grow young adults into the presence of Jesus into a love for Jesus. And so if you're if you're looking if you're a young adult looking for somewhere to to plug in with uh other Jesusloving people, this would certainly be the place.

And so um awesome. That's it. That's it for announcements.

I want us Why don't we all stand up? I want to read I want to read in Luke 24. And I just I want to remind us today is that if there's anything in all of human history in any moment, any point of our lives that is worth celebrating, that is worth looking undignified, that is worth uh yielding and ourselves over to King Jesus and loving him with disregard to what the people around us will think is it is on resurrection Sunday, >> the heaven will sing songs and make declarations and celebrate for all of eternity the the that moment that Jesus crossed from from inside of a tomb to the outside cuz as he stepped out of that tomb, so did you and I.

Amen. >> And if there's regard for what people might think uh or or or we have a care for what we might look like to the people around us in light of what the greatest accomplishment and not just it's not a human history thing. es in all of existence ever where God became man, died on a cross for you and I.

And on this day 2,000ish years ago, stepped out of that grave and with him, he brought out you and I. Today is a day worth celebrating. >> And so, let's please let's put all that stuff aside.

Sometimes we come in with burdens and all that stuff. We don't put them aside because they don't matter. We put them aside because Jesus reigns over all of it at all times.

>> Amen. All right, let's read Luke 24 verse one. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared, and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

And they and when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here, but he is risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified on the third day and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words. And returning from the tomb, they told all these things to the 11 and the rest.

Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other woman with them who told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idol tale and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb stooping looking in.

He saw the linen cloths by themselves and he went home marveling at what he of what had happened. Tonight as we go into worship, let us not go into worship as ones who do not believe that he has risen. Far be it from us to be people who do not celebrate the single greatest accomplishment.

So precious Lord, we come today and we thank you for the victory of your resurrection. That when you walked out of that grave in marvelous life in glorious light, that you took us with you. You brought us with you and now for all of eternity we will celebrate, rejoice and tell the testimony of the one who gave himself for us.

And so we ask God, come and rest with us. Come and be celebrated among us, Lord. Come and be with your people here tonight as we pour our oil at your feet.

As we lift our praises and our hearts over to you, we ask, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come." You are the You are the one who is worthy of our affection, all of our attention. There is nothing else, no one else.

There is no accomplishment, no victory that is worth celebrating the way, the testimony of your resurrection requires. And so Lord, we love you. We thank you for the finished work of the cross.

And we thank you for the victory of your resurrection. In your name we pray. Amen.

Yeah. Oh. Oh.

Oh, Oh, we fix our eyes on you. The sun was dark and then the heavens thunder. And for a moment dead had thought it had conered.

It wasn't over till you said it's over. Your word is greater still. The perfect sacrifice your body broken.

As you restored to us what sin had stolen once and for all. You tore the veil wide open. Your power is stronger still.

The sun was darkened. Then the heavens thundered. And for a moment death had thought it had conered.

It wasn't over till you said it's over. Your word is greater still. The perfect sacrifice.

Your body broken as you restored to us what sin had stolen. Once and for all you tore the veil wide open. Your power is stronger still.

All praise, all praise to the name above all names. Oh Jesus, you reign. You're the name above all names.

All praise. All praise. All praise to the name above all names.

Jesus, you. You're the name above all name. Oh Jesus, the name above every name.

You turn the grave into a new beginning. Our God is risen. You're alive and breathing.

There's nothing that can rise against your victory. Your name is higher still. Oh, you turn the grave into a new beginning.

Our God is risen. You're alive and breathing. There's nothing that can rise against your victory.

Your name is higher standing. your name. Your name is higher still and all praise.

All praise to the name above all name. Jesus, you you're the name above all. All praise, all praise to the name above all name.

Jesus, you reign, you're the name above all name. Oh, you turn the grave into a new beginning. Our God is risen.

You're alive and breathing. There's nothing that can rise against your victory. Your name is higher still.

Oh, let's sing again. Oh, you turn the grave into a new beginning. Our God is risen.

You're alive and everything. There's nothing that can rise against your victory. Your name is higher still.

Your name is higher. Your name is higher still. And all praise.

All praise to the name of Jesus. You are the name of all praise. All praise to the name above all Jesus.

You are the name above all name. And the cross still stands and the blood still flows. The work is finished.

Hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still roll. And you're still high and lifted up.

You're still seated on the throne. The cross still stands. The blood still flows.

The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still wrong.

And you're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne. The cross still stands.

The blood still flows. The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty.

The storm is still roll. And you're still high and lifted up. You're still here on the throne.

The cross still. The blood still blows. The work is finished.

Hell still know yours. Now the grave is still empty. The storm is still roll.

And you're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne. The cross still stands.

The blood still works. The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty.

The soul is still and you're still high and lifted up. You're standing on the ground. Every voice will proclaim there is no highle.

to we will see there is no every voice there is no higher we will see there is Oh, all praise, all praise to the name of all Jesus. You are the name above all name. All praise, all praise to the name of all Jesus.

You're the name of our every voice will proclaim there is no higher name. to we will sing. There is no higher.

Every voice will proclaim there is no highle. Wait, we will see. There is no higher.

Hallelujah. Yeah. All to the name of all Jesus.

You're the name above all. All praise. All praise to the name of all name Jesus.

Jesus, you are the name above all name. You're the name. You're the name above all name.

You're the name above all names. Jesus, you're the name above all name. You're the name above all names.

No name is higher. You're the name above all names. You're the name above all name.

No name is greater. You're the name above all name. Your name is higher.

You're the name above all name. >> No name is greater. >> You're the name above all name.

>> No name is higher. >> You're the name above all name. The name is great.

>> You're the name above all name. >> The name is higher. >> You're the name above.

All nameing the cross. The cross still stands. The blood still flows.

The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still roll and you're still high and lifted up.

You're still seated on the throne. The cross still stands. The blood still flows.

The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still roll.

And you're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne. The cross still stands.

The blood still flows. The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty.

The stone is still roll. And you're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne.

The cross still stands. The blood still flows. The work is still hell still knows that the grave is still empty.

The story is still wrong. You're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne.

The cross still stands. The blood still flows. The work is finished.

Hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still roll. And you're still high lifted up.

You're still seated on the throne. The cross still. The blood still blows.

The work is finished. Hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still roll.

You're still high lifted up. You're still se on the ground still. The still work is finished still.

You're still high lifted up. You're still seated on the ground. The blood still blows.

work is finished and still the grave is still empty. The storm is still and you're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne.

Every voice will proclaim there is no higher race to age we will sing there is no highle every voice will proclaim there is no Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Every voice will comple to the name above of all name Jesus you are the name above all names all praise all praise all praise to the name above all names Jesus Jesus, you are.

>> You're the name above all name. You're the name. You're the name above all name.

>> You're the name above all names. You're the name above all names. >> Oh, it's Jesus.

>> Name above all name above all. >> Name above all name. >> Name above all name.

>> Jesus. >> Jesus. Jesus.

>> Jesus. >> Jesus. My Jesus, my savior.

Lord, there is none like you. All of my days I long to praise the wonders of your might be love. My Jesus, my Jesus, my savior.

Lord, there is none like you. All of my days, I long to praise the wonders of your mighty love. My comfort, my shelter, tower of reuge and strength.

And let every breath and all that I am never cease to ship you. and shout to the Lord all the earth. Let us sing.

Power and majesty praise to the King. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name. And I'll sing for joy at the works of your hands.

Forever I'll love you. Forever I'll stand. And nothing compares to this proise I have in you.

There's no one like you, Lord. There's no love. No one know.

My Jesus, my savior. Lord, there is none like you. you.

All of my days I long to praise the wonders of your mighty love. My comfort, my shelter, tower of reuge and strength. Let every breath all that I am never cease to hurtship you.

You're my comfort, my comfort, my shelter, tower of reuge and strength. Let every breath all that I am never cease to worship you. Let every breath all that I am never cease to worship you.

Let every breath, let every breath, all that I am never ceas. Jesus everywhere. All that I am never cease to shout to all the earth.

I see power and majesty ra and the seas will roar and the sound of your name. I see for sure the words of your love you forever nothing compares to this proise I to the earth let us see power and magesty The sing mountains bow down and the sea will roar at the sound of your name. Nothing worse to the proise I have.

Nothing compares to the proise I have. Nothing compares to this proise. I have nothing.

Nothing compares to the proise. I have nothing. Nothing to the proise.

I have nothing compared to the proise. I have nothing compares to this proise I have. Nothing compares to this proise I have.

Nothing compares to this proise I have. No one, no one compares to you. >> No one, no one compares to you.

>> Nothing compares to the promise we have in you, Lord. >> Nothing compares to the promise we have in you. Nothing, >> nothing compares to the promise I have in you.

I have in you. >> Nothing compares to this proise I have. >> Nothing compares to this proise I have in you.

compares to this cross. >> Nothing compares to >> nothing. Nothing compares to nothing compares.

>> The enemy has been defeated. And if hold you tight, I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praises.

Cuz the enemy has been defeated and death couldn't hold you down. I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praises.

Cuz the enemy has been defeated and death couldn't hold you down. I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praises cuz the enemy has been defeated and death couldn't hold you down.

I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praises loud cuz the enemy has been defeated and death couldn't hold you down. I'm going to lift my voice in victory.

I'm going to make your praises cuz the enemy has been defeated and death couldn't hold you down. I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praises cuz the enemy is indeed and death couldn't hold you down.

I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praises cuz the enemy has been defeated and death couldn't hold you down. I'm going to make my voice in victory.

I'm going to make your raises cuz the ene and death could hold you down. I'm going to lift my voice in victory. I'm going to make your praise.

Shout to God with the voice of tri. Shout to God with the voice of praise. Shout out to God with the voice of trial.

We lift your name up. We lift your name up. Shout to God with the voice of Sh.

Shout to God with the voice of we lift your name up. We lift your name up. We lift your name up.

We lift your name up. We lift your name up. We lift your name up.

We lift your name up. We lift your name up. We lift your name up.

to the Lord. All the power and majesty gra and the se your joy at on your hands forever. I love you forever.

I'll say nothing compares to the proise I shout to the Lord on the earth. Let us see. Power and majesty praise to the king.

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name. I'll sing for joy at the words of your hands. Forever I love you forever.

I'll say nothing compares to the proise I have. Nothing compares to the proise I have. Nothing compares to the proise I have.

Nothing compares to this promise I have. And shout to the Lord. Oh the earth.

Let us sing. Power and majesty praise to the king. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name.

And I sing for joy at the works of your hands. Forever I'll love. Forever I'll stand.

Nothing compares to this proise I have in you. Nothing compares to you. Nothing compares to you, Jesus.

We praise you. We praise your name. We praise your name.

>> We praise your name. Glorious. Thank you Jesus.

Thank you for your sacrifice. You are the proise. You are the proise.

I cast my mind to Calary where Jesus and for me I see his wounds, his hands, his feet, My savior on the cursed tree. His body bound and wrenched in tears. They laid him down in the entrance by heavy stone.

Messiah sore alone. I cast my mind to cover me. Where Jesus bless and die for me.

I see his wounds, his hands, his feet. My savior on that cursed tree. His body bound and drenched in tears.

They laid him down in Joseph's tomb. The entrance sealed by heavy storm. Messiah still endure along and oh praise the name of the Lord our God.

Oh praise his name forever more. For endless we will sing your praise. Oh Lord, oh Lord our God and oh praise the name of the Lord our God.

Oh, praise his name forever more. Forelessness we will sing your praise. Oh Lord, oh Lord our God.

Oh we say your praise is Lord. Oh, we sing your praisees, Jesus. On the third, I break of dawn.

The son of heaven and rose again. All trampled dead, where is your city? The angels for Christ the king.

And on the third I'll break up dawn. The son of heaven rose again. No treble.

Where is your sing? The angels roar for Christ the King of all praise. Oh the Lord our God.

Oh praise his name forever more. We will sing your praise. Oh, praise his name forever.

We will sing. We still then on the At break of dawn, the son of heaven rose again. Oh, tremple death.

Where is your ste the angels ro for Christ the king of heaven ros hope for Christ the king >> heaven ros joining with heaven Heaven the king. Oh, it's joined with heaven. Christ holy, holy, holy.

We join in with we join in with him. Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. He joined with heaven.

Holy, holy, >> with the angels. Holy, holy. We joined with heaven, holy, holy, holy one.

Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, >> holy. >> He shall return with rose of white. The blazing sun shall pierce the night and I will rise all the s my gaze transfixed all Jesus face he shall return in robes of His blazing sun shall pierce the night and I will rise among the saints.

My gaze transfixed on Jesus face. It shall return in rose of white. The blazing sun shall pierce the night and I will rise among the saints.

Heat. Praise the name of the Lord. Heat.

Oh, oh Lord. Oh, Lord. Oh Lord our God.

Oh, praise the name of the Lord. Oh, praise his name forever more. Forever endless.

We will sing your praise, oh Lord. the Lord our God. >> And oh, praise the name of the Lord our God.

Oh, praise his name forever more. Forever we will sing your praise. Oh Lord, oh our God, and oh praise the name of the Lord our God.

Oh, praise his name forever more. Forever endless days we will sing your praise. Oh Lord our God and oh praise the name of the Lord our God.

Oh praise his name forever more. Forever endless days we will sing your praise. Oh Lord.

Oh my god. Oh, praise his name forever. We will sing.

Heat. Praise his name forever. God and oh praise the name of the Lord our God.

Oh praise his name forever more foreverless we will sing your praise. Holy one of God. Jesus.

Jesus forever. Praise forever forever. Sing forever.

Heat. God praise forever forever. >> Let's sing that again all together.

Praise the name of the Lord our God. Oh, praise his name forever more, foreverless. We will sing your praise >> again.

Let's sing it again. Son of the Lord our God. Oh, praise his name forever.

Foreverless we will sing your >> one more time every voice. of the Lord our God. Oh, praise his name forever more.

Foreless we will sing your praise. Oh, Lord God. Lord Jesus, tonight we gather with one agenda, Lord, and that's to celebrate the victory of your resurrected life.

But in your kindness towards us, Lord, when what seemed like the end in that grave, it turned out only to be the beginning. And we thank you, God, that in this room there is many lives, many souls, Lord, where it seemed like we've come to the end of ourselves. And the moment our eyes met you.

The moment we beheld you. The moment Lord you looked at us and you called us to yourself. The moment you drew near to us and had mercy on us.

In your compassion, God, and in your mercy, we walked out of that grave, too. >> And we thank you, Lord, that you didn't leave us dead. You didn't leave us dying.

You didn't leave us. >> Thank you, Lord. >> You didn't forsake us.

You didn't forget us. Rather, you made us. You called us children of God.

And so today, Lord, we remember the testimony of your resurrection. You walked out of that grave. You revealed the scriptures to those who followed you.

You made intercession for those who believed in you. And on this glorious day, death, hell, and the grave was defeated. >> Sin and brokenness and darkness put away for good.

And thank you Lord that you restored us back to the garden >> where man can walk with God once again in the cool of day. >> What a gift it is Lord. What a privilege that we get to celebrate.

What a gift that we get to remember the testimony. What a gift it is that that you cut our hearts open. You reveal yourself to us.

You lead us and guide us. You You anoint us for such a time as this. It really is the greatest gift to be called a child of God.

Thank you that you are faithful and true. Thank you that there is nobody beside you, no one like you. There is no other God.

There is no other person, no other thing that that could take on the sin of the world. There's no act, there's no deed outside of the cross, outside of your cross that can draw the clearest divide between the curse of sin and the creation of man. Thank you that you called us your own, that you said yes to us, Lord, that you've loved us.

We thank you for your presence, God, here. We ask may we become more aware, more sensitive to you. Holy Spirit, help us to see Jesus tonight.

Just like every other Sunday, Lord, every other time we gather, we do not want to leave here remembering a worship setter or message. We want to behold the lamb of God, Jesus of Nazareth, the one who died, was buried, and in three glorious days was raised to life. We love you, Jesus, and we give you all of the glory, all of the honor.

And in your most holy name we pray. Amen. >> Amen.

Can we lift a shout of praise to Jesus? Amen. Amen.

Amen. We're so glad you're here. Why don't you find your seats?

Happy resurrection Sunday. >> He is risen. >> Let's do that again.

He is risen. >> He is risen. >> Amen.

He is risen. >> He is risen. >> Amen.

Amen. Well, everyone looks so nice today. You always look nice, but today in particular, um, sweet.

I want to, um, well, we're going to receive tonight's offering in just a little bit, but I want to give you some, uh, context for where we're going today. Um, I want to start, um, today is going to be really celebratory in nature and and that's the way it should be and I'm looking forward to that. I'm excited.

Um, but I want to I want to start off uh before we get to celebrating. I just I want to start a little bit sober. Um, because I want us to never forget why we gather to celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

Um, you know, I've said this before. Often times we'll gather to celebrate Christian holidays and it just becomes another holiday. But when it comes to celebrating Jesus, we cannot forget the reason why we gather.

And yes, we understand that we gather because Jesus rose from the grave. Absolutely. But why is his resurrection so important?

Why is it so worthy of celebration? That's what I want to hear. That's what I want us uh to go into tonight.

And um and then at the end we'll we'll just we'll love him. We'll we'll worship. We'll celebrate together and um just fully love love Jesus wholeheartedly and completely.

Amen. >> Awesome. Okay.

Well, uh I don't want to take long I don't want to take long for to receive tonight's offering. I just basically just want to say um God has been so faithful to us and um for us as individuals and and for us as a congregation, as a church, the body of Christ here at the finding and and I don't know I don't know if you know I I don't know if sometimes we understand the weight and I speak this for myself as well. I don't know if we understand the weight of what we get to carry in in moments and seasons of our lives, especially when we gather as a body together.

uh and specifically here at the finding as as God's been entrusting to us more, you know, like even from conference like we talked about earlier and and the way that he's drawing people to himself and the people who are being drawn to Seattle, to the Northwest to invest into our city and our region and and love Jesus uh with us and help help God bring a move of the spirit like hold on that came out wrong. um help us to partner with God to bring forth the move of the spirit here in the Northwest. >> I shared several weeks ago is that there's there's been several prophetic words about the Northwest.

And I know that it's it's really sad that um that in some ways the the prophetic has been tainted with with such brokenness and and corruption. But it doesn't ne it doesn't the corruption and the twistedness of a person does not remove from the holiness and the sacredness of the word of God still. >> And so the prophetic does not become any less holy because somebody messed up.

It remains just as holy. It just has to be with the purity of heart. And so when God speaks over a region and over over a nation, over a city, over a life, over a family, what happens is he's not he's not just uh he's God isn't just telling us what's going to happen.

He is looking for souls who are willing to say yes to his assignment. And so I have no doubt and I think many of us, especially if if the finding is home for you, I think we're all really convinced that God is doing something significant in the Northwest and in Seattle. And um and what a gift it is to partner with Jesus for what he wants to do in our nation, through our city.

And so when we uh when we gather and and and and and worship him and celebrate, what we're doing is we're a dwelling place, a home where Jesus rests so that the nations can can walk into the room and experience King Jesus among a people who will not compromise his presence. And so when we partner again, when when we all gather to to give and when we give in um towards an assignment what we're giving to is his partnership really with Jesus, with his word, with his assignment, with his plans and purposes for what God for what he wants to do within a city. And so, um, may we reflect Jesus in our generosity that people would be drawn to the to the heart, the nature, the character of Christ in us, to the Christlikeness in us.

Amen. >> Amen. Awesome.

Well, um, if you need an envelope, please raise your hand. Our ushers are more than happy to get you one of those. Um and then we have every regular way of giving up on the screen.

We have two videos we want to play today. One one we'll just we'll play during offering and then um and then we just want to uh we want to give you a little preview into conference and then we'll be back. We'll pray together and um we'll jump right into the scriptures.

So we will be right back. to your head. to see yourself.

Your hands to see your side. Lead us to your head to see your side. Lead us to your hands, your feet.

Lead us to your hands to be your side. Lead us to your hands to be your side. Your hand.

Heat. Yeah. Heat.

Lead me to the cross. When I remember him, when I remember the holes in his hands and in the testifying, in the declaration of who he is, I prophesy the victory of the cross over those broken areas of my life. Your red light in the spirit is often his green light.

He's not asking for help. He's asking for crucifixion. He's asking for death.

>> It means that when I cling to him and sit at his feet and he does not hold my issues against me because he sees me, I'm a new creation, Christ Jesus. He says, "You already are clean because the word I have spoken remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself.

It must remain in the vine." Jesus I Jesus. The son of God. All right, let's pray.

Let's pray together. Jesus, we thank you for your faithfulness and your kindness. God, we thank you for the power of your testimony, the truth by which we live by.

Thank you for every dollar that was swn. We ask Lord would you breathe upon it and that each one would be like a soldier in your army to destroy the kingdom of hell and bring forth the kingdom of heaven. I thank you Lord that you see every need in this room whether it's financial or any other and that you are a good father.

you are good in every way. And so I thank you that uh there is nothing that goes unseen and that you provide, you take care, you will equip, you will strengthen, you will make whole. So tonight we believe in you because we remember the power of your testimony.

We remember the power of your death, your burial, and we remember the power of your resurrection. Thank you that you are faithful and true, always so kind to us. Thank you that you love us and with and are with us.

Draw near to us tonight, God. Help us to see you rightly. And that through and through our our hearts would be captivated, devoted to the one thing that's needed, the one man, Jesus Christ.

>> Amen. >> We love you, Lord. We pray all of this in your most holy name.

Amen. >> Amen. Awesome.

All right. All right. Let's turn our Bibles to Numbers 17.

Chapter 17. Again, I want to remind you um or like part of the point I want to make tonight is that we don't gather to celebrate Resurrection Sunday like we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving or or uh Fourth of July or Valentine's Day. We don't come to celebrate uh having forgotten what actually took place on uh and the reason for our celebration.

I've shared it here before. Sometimes we come to celebrate the testimony of Jesus like we celebrate Thanksgiving and in in Fourth of July. And for the most part, you know, if I was to ask why why we celebrate Fourth of July or why we celebrate Thanksgiving, we'd probably have different answers in here like pilgrims and uh some sort of dinner and and something happened on Fourth of July or we became a country and and there's there's a disconnect from the celebration because the celebration has become about like you know you're going to get a day off, you know, you're going to grill outside in the park.

You're going to spend time with family. You're going to cook a turkey. Whatever it is, the celebration has become about something other than what it was what it was intended to point to.

And you could do that with Thanksgiving. You could do that with Fourth of July. You could do that with the other stuff.

What we cannot do that with is Resurrection Sunday. >> Amen. And this is where this is where I want to kind of remind us the soberness of our of our responsibility to remember the living Christ because to forget to forget the reason we celebrate and when I say remember I don't just mean that you're able to uh tell somebody that Jesus resurrected on the cross.

Yes. Excuse me. Resurrected from the grave.

Yes. That's an absolute truth. What does that mean though?

Why is that worth celebrating? Because if we don't know why it's worth celebrating, we uh in many ways we remove ourselves. We reject the benefits of his resurrection, which is why he died on the tree to begin with and why he was resurrected in the first place.

So that's where I want to get to get to tonight. So it'll start off a little sober, but we'll eventually we'll get into uh into the sweet celebratory moments of it. So, I'm going to read Numbers 17:1.

It says, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each father's house, from all their chiefs according to their father's houses, 12 staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each father's house.

Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with you and the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel which they grumble against you. And Moses spoke to the people of Israel and all their chiefs gave him staffs one for one for each chief according to their father's houses 12 staffs.

And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of testimony. That's very that's a very important detail to remember.

The staffs were put in the tent of testimony. On the next day, Moses went into the tent of testimony. And behold, the staff of Aaron, for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.

Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. And the Lord said to Moses, "Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign for the rebels that that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die." Thus did Moses as the Lord commanded him.

And so he did. Okay. What started to happen in Numbers chapter 16 is uh is a man named Kora began to rebel against Moses and he began to take on this perspective that he along with 250 others or 249 others uh they know better they should they will do better at leading Israel than Moses and Aaron are.

And so what they begin to do is they begin to crumb uh crumble. They begin to grumble. They begin to grumble and complain um against Moses, against Aaron, and ultimately against the instruction and direction of God.

And so what began to happen is they challenged Moses. Moses in some ways accepted the challenge and he said, "Okay, um, let's go get incense and we'll start burning it and we'll let God decide who will lead who will lead the nation." So, what happens is Moses, Moses and Aaron bring incense. Kora and the rebellion bring incense.

And before anything even happens, Moses says God will decide who who uh he has chosen and the earth splits open. Kora and the the rebellion fall through into the belly of the earth and it shuts closed. And then God says God says I want to I want to make sure that there will be a a testimony.

There will be a story. There will be a representation. There will be a visual for Israel to know that what I have instructed Moses and Aaron is according to my plan, my instruction, and my purpose.

And if it's according to my instruction, my plan, and my purpose, and they're they're the ones that instructed to lead it. And therefore, anyone who will choose to rebel will have this this rod in front of them, will have this staff in front of them that will remind them who God has appointed to lead Israel. Makes sense, right?

Pretty clear. He's So God tells Moses to grab 12 uh 12 staffs, one for uh one from each chief from uh every tribe of Israel from the father the fathers of the tribes of Israel. So there's 12 tribes and Moses and God tells Moses, take these take these 12 staff, these 12 rods and place them in the tent of testimony.

And when you put them in the test the the tent of testimony what will happen is as the dead tree dead tree rests there. I will breathe upon one and the one that I will breathe upon will bring forth life will bring forth fruit. And so Moses tell takes the 12 staff.

He puts them into the into the tent of testimony and they leave them overnight. They leave them for a day. And the next day they wake up and they find that that Aaron's Aaron's rod who is representing the tribe of Levi which Levi means joined to join together in unity joined.

So Aaron's rod is put into the testimony into the tent of testimony among all the all the other rods and God breathes upon Aaron's rod that out of dead wood out of the dead wood that the man who is joined to puts at the tent of testimony that dead wood begins to bring forth life. It begins to bring fruit from a dead tree. I I hope by this point you see the type and shadow of the cross, right?

The interesting part is that Kora was actually also a Levite which means that he was also joined too. But in Kora's situation is the one who is joined to Jesus. The one who is joined to in other words the one who is calls themsself a Christian but has forgotten the testimony of the Lord their God.

Because what Cororus started to do and the rebellion what they started to do is they begin to forget the testimony of the Lord their God. And in the questioning of the testimony of God, they began to doubt if God was even leading them through Moses and Aaron. And when they began to doubt the testimony of God and the direction of Moses and Aaron, God's direction through Moses and Aaron, all of a sudden they they thought they figured that they probably know how to lead better.

and the forgetfulness of the testimonies of God, the one who brought them out of Egypt, the one where they saw I said, you know, I I say this a lot is it's it's mind-blowing that Israel walked out of Egypt with Egypt stuff, with their gold and their jewelry and their their clothing. They walked out of Egypt. They come they come, they're being led by pillar of fire, pillar of cloud.

They're brought to the Red Sea. It's parted. They cross through on dry ground.

They get to the other side. Egypt dies in the waters in the waters of baptism. Egypt dies there.

Their bondage dies there. They're on the other side. They pray for food.

God gives them mana from heaven. They pray for water. They ask for water.

God makes water run through the wilderness out of a rock. They saw some of the most profound signs, wonders, and miracles in all of the scriptures. And the moment they forgot the testimony where they came from, what God has done for them, they deemed that they were better at leading themselves into a promise than the God who had accomplished all that he did for them.

>> It's the reason why you and I could gather. It's the Let me say it this way better. It's the reason why we could gather in church, remember Easter Sunday, resurrection Sunday, and still go home bound because Jesus is not worth celebrating because it's a good ending to a story.

The resurrection is not a good ending to a book. The resurrection is a declaration. It's a it's a proclamation to heaven, hell, and earth that what Jesus has accomplished is of ultimate authority.

And when I submit when you and I submit ourselves to his finished work, to the accomplishment of the cross, there's absolutely that nothing there's nothing absolutely nothing that can stand against the authority of who Jesus Christ is. >> It's why it's like for me it's sad. It's it's sad when we can gather when we gather in a room like this and we sing songs about what Jesus has accomplished and we remember the cross and his resurrection and we kind of like we're in service, we're in church and we're like just arms crossed, not engaged.

And it's it's like most a a large portion of the Western church is like that. It's like, well, let's come. Let's do our singing thing, our Christian singing thing.

We cross our arms and you whatever. Frustrated and maybe you don't like the song or you like the worship leader and everything begins to revolve around you on resurrection Sunday, the most glorious day in all of existence. And the only thing the only thing we celebrate is ourselves in the name of Jesus.

Easter Sunday cannot be resurrection Sunday cannot be the remembering of a good ending to a story that we hoped would end well. Kora was a Levite. It means meaning he was again Levite meaning joined to.

He was joined to he was he was in the priesthood that was instructed to minister to God. And in his assignment over his life cuz he belonged to the Levites. He forgot the testimony of God.

his entire call, his entire assignment, his entire purpose. He surrendered because he thought he knew better because he for he just forgot the testimony. Forgetfulness, forgetfulness in the kingdom is deadly.

>> You will always remember something and if it's not the testimony of Jesus, it'll be something else. It'll be the testimony of something else. And there is nothing absolutely nothing else that you can that that can bring you life.

There's no other tent of testimony where we you could put dead wood into and out of it will bring will come forth eternal life. So if it's not the testimony of Jesus that we remember on resurrection Sunday, if it's not if it's not the finished work of what he has done, his glorious resurrection, ascension, seated in glory now forever at the right hand of the father making intercession for you and I. If that if we do not remember the testimony, what we do is we remember the testimony of something else, oftentimes ourselves, and we come to sing songs in Jesus' name, but our hearts are far removed from him.

There's probably some of you here. I I don't mean to like uh I mean this with utmost respect and like a like a fear of the Lord and a and a and a um a reverence in my heart. My spirit is like there are some of you that you probably showed up to church just because it's Sunday.

Excuse me, just because it's resurrection Sunday. because it's Easter and it's like, well, let me go do my checkbox thing checkbox thing with God to make sure that if for the next 364 days I'm no longer here, hopefully I'll end up there. And I I don't mean to like I I don't mean to to call that out as a form of like shame or anything like that.

I just mean that if church has become has become a symbolic thing, something you do to you've missed an entire point of Jesus. >> His testimony, it doesn't just have it doesn't just have the the power to to get you to heaven if you die. Certainly that as well.

But the testimony of Jesus is so much deeper than that. so much. Heaven is it is the the it's the bare minimum.

I've said it before. Trust me, if Jesus is not in heaven, you don't want to be there either because then it's just filled with people who are not like Jesus and you just get earth again. You hear what I'm saying?

Okay. And so what happens uh in number 17 again is they put the staffs in the tent of testimony. And when the testimony of Jesus was applied, now I'm now I'm I'm kind of foreshadowing or or like it wasn't just a testimony.

It wasn't just that God led them by pillars of smoke and fire. It was the testimony of Jesus, the testimony of his grace, of his salvation. And so as the rods lay there, the rod of the one who was joined to when the testimony was put over the one who was joined to Christ, all of a sudden out of that dead wood amongst all the others, out of that deadwood, the one who was joined to Christ and his testimony applied out of that dead, dry, useless wood, came forth life.

Just like out of the cross when the testimony of Jesus, Jesus who is the Christ, he is the testimony itself. When the testimony of Jesus was applied to dead wood and he was joined together and the scriptures talk about it in Galatians, it talks about it in Romans 6 that we were co-rcified with Christ. When I was joined to the cross in Jesus, his testimony, I was, you and I were sandwiched between the dead wood, the testimony of Jesus and us dead in the middle.

And when he when his testimony rested upon the dead wood that I was co-rucified on with, all of a sudden out of me, out of you complete pitiful little lives who am out to absolutely nothing, all of a sudden God brought forth children for himself. out of his testimony. The testimony of Jesus when applied to dead, broken, dark things, for some reason, it's in his nature.

For some reason, they come to life. For some reason, they begin to bear fruit. For some reason, they begin to become a light.

It's why the scripture says, "Whatever becomes exposed to the light becomes a light. is as his testimony is applied. It's the sweet thing.

It's like you may have struggled, you may be struggling with some of the deepest, darkest sin of your life. And only in Jesus can you come into a room like this where the affection is geared to him and him alone. We remember the testimony of Jesus and it applied to that dead thing in your life.

That broken, dark, rugged, cold, hard, splintered thing in your life. Testimony of Jesus applied and all of a sudden that thing that you thought defined you in death all of a sudden begins to retell the goodness and the kindness of God. Hallelujah.

>> All of a sudden, when that that broken piece is pulled out of the tent of testimony, it's got life on it. The reason we we like it's so common to be stuck in sin and so common to be stuck in in brokenness and all of these things in life and life gets the better of us. It's not because the blood, the body, the cross, the resurrection isn't enough.

I promise you, it's more than enough. The only reason is that we forget the one to whom we belong. We forget the one who has led us.

We forget the testimony of the one who has made a declaration and we live by a testimony that is other than. And so when we come on resurrection Sunday on Easter, we're not remembering a some guy named Jesus who died and then came to life again. We begin to remember that when that stone was rolled away and Jesus crossed over from the tomb into eternity into resurrected glorious life.

All of a sudden, this that thing, whatever it is you're dealing with in this room, there's probably hundreds of things we're dealing with. Could be sin. It could be sickness and disease.

Could be brokenness in your mind, a broken heart, it could whatever. All sorts of stuff. When Jesus, when that stone was rolled away and Jesus walked out, all of a sudden, all of that stuff that we're dealing with today, all of it has been declared, done, and finished.

>> Hallelujah. And so the truth tonight, the truth as Christians, as believers, is that there's no there's no dead wood that when joined to Jesus and put in his testimony cannot bring life. which tells us that whatever it is you walked in here with, maybe you have a hurting marriage, suffering marriage, and it might seem like it's you don't know how it's going to get better.

I want to remind you is that on resurrection Sunday, we don't remember a guy named Jesus who walked out of the grave. We remember the son of God who when his testimony, when his his death, his passion, his burial, his resurrection, his ascension, glorification, him seated at the right hand of the father, when we remember that testimony, that story, that truth that we live by over your broken marriage, all of a sudden, what seemed impossible, it seemed impossible for out of dead wood to come forth life. What seems impossible out of a dead marriage will come forth.

The beauty and the wonder and the the grace and the joy and the peace of the Holy Spirit. >> Amen. >> And maybe you walked in here with with brokenness in your family.

Maybe you haven't spoken to your parents in some time or your kids have turned away from you, haven't reached out to you. Maybe you've have brokenness with siblings, friends, whatever it is, a situation that again may seem impossible. All of a sudden, when the testimony of Jesus is applied to dead wood, when the testimony of Jesus is applied to cold, rugged, dark, insignificant things, only his testimony can bring forth life from those things.

Maybe you have addiction or sin in your life that it's hidden nobody knows about and you're broken on the inside and hurting and don't know what to do about it and feel like a failure and and wondering how is what is God going to do with you? How is he going to make use of your life? And I want to remind you again that on resurrection Sunday, we do not remember a man named Jesus who rose again.

We remember the resurrected Christ, the resurrected anointed one. That when his testimony, when his blood, when his body was put upon dead wood, out of it came forth eternal life. today.

That same testimony, that same Christ, when you're joined together to him and his testimony applied to the things in your life, those dead things, all of a sudden they bring forth life. And that thing that you thought you'll never get free from, it becomes a distant memory that always points back to Resurrection Sunday. Always points back to the victory of the cross.

Maybe you have sickness, disease, pain in your body, a diagnosis maybe that's terminal, no promises for a cure, and again you have dead wood. But the promise again and again and again, the promise again and again and again and again again is that when the testimony of Jesus is applied to dead things, when the testimony of Jesus is applied to dead things, all of a sudden out of death only the testimony of Jesus, only the Lord Jesus Christ can hang on dead wood and out of it bring forth eternal life for humanity. >> Amen.

It's why in Ezekiel when God told him, "Can these bones live?" >> And Ezekiel says, "Only you know, God." And God says, "Well, I want you to speak to the bones." >> And Ezekiel, he didn't have some magic power to to make bones come to life and grow flesh and blood. What the prophetic book, what the prophetic word is telling us is that God sees dead, broken things. And he says, "Declare, prophesy, testify over those dead things and watch what I do." >> And guess what happened when Ezekiel begins to testify, tell the testimony of God, the the prophetic word of God, which is why Revelation 19 says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Isaiah begins to prophesy over dead bones. In other words, he begins to tell this is a type and shadow. He begins to tell the testimony of Christ over dead bones.

And up from the field, dead bones slowly, it says that they slowly start coming together. And every bone knows which bone bel it needs to be next to. It's not like the skull randomly connected to the femur.

Just got to like redo it. Every bone knew exactly where it was to connect to connect and all of a sudden they begin to stand up and flesh begins to form and blood begins to form and then God says prophesy to them breath and now there's flesh there there's bone there and then I then Ezekiel prophesies a second time and breath enters into the being into the flesh God's breath and all of a sudden an army begins to raise up why because into the dead things was spoken the testimony of Jesus. >> And God made for himself an army out of dead bones.

Out of dry dead bones. Out of those bones. Out of that field came forth an army of God.

If you have a son or a daughter, a parent, a family member, a friend who doesn't know Jesus, you've been contending for their life, the promise is this is that in the testimony of Jesus is eternal life. In the testimony of Jesus, they are bound to the cross. Which means that as we continue to pray, as we continue to contend, as we continue to tell the testimony of Jesus, we believe that as we lay this dead wood, this dead life in prayer before God from one who is joined to him, continue to pray again and again and again, there's there's little, if anything at all, that can stop a life from yielding and fully surrendering to Jesus.

I know that for at least for myself, for myself, and I'm sure there's many of you who could testify to this is you're probably walking with Jesus because you're your mother or father locked away in a closet and wept on your behalf, cried for your soul. And Jesus met you in the your darkest moment in the pit of hell and pulled you out into glorious resurrected life. He saw dead wood in the pit of hell and he went straight for it.

He went straight for your life. >> And as he pulled it out of hell and established it, all of a sudden again out of your life and out of my life began to bring forth. He began to bring for himself children of God.

He began to bring for himself an army of God. >> Do you hear? Maybe you're struggling with depression or anxiety or brokenness in your mind.

Testimony of Jesus applied to a broken mind, a dead hurting mind. His testimony applied brings forth peace and joy and righteousness and hope. Maybe you're working through, struggling through sexual confusion and wondering where you belong and is there freedom, is there hope and I promise you this.

I promise you as a testimony of the world will try to tell you a testimony of something else. Just do what you feel. You are who you think you are.

You you're all sorts of nonsense. Jesus says, "You are a child. You're my child, a child of God." Amen.

>> And that thing that may seem like it's impossible to be free from, that thing that may seem like it's got a hold on your life, when brought forth, when that dead thing is brought forth into the testimony of Jesus, and he breathes upon it, when he meets you out of that thing comes forth, that that thing that is dead, that is a dead weight in your life, that's hurting you and aching, it's splintered and broken and rugged and hard. All of a sudden, out of that thing, God brings a miracle. He He brings life out of the most broken areas of life.

>> Do you hear what I'm saying? Like there's nothing there's absolutely nothing you can be struggling with you could be working through in your life that when the testimony of Jesus is applied to the remembrance of Jesus is it's engaged with our hearts are engaged with his testimony with his story. There's absolutely nothing that can separate us from his love.

There's nothing absolutely nothing that can separate us from the transformation of the gospel. >> Amen. Resurrection Sunday is not about a man named Jesus Christ who walked out of a grave.

If the impressive part was walking out of the grave, we would be celebrating Lazarus. >> Come on. >> But when Lazarus walked out of that grave, his testimony spoke of Jesus.

>> When Jesus walked out of the grave, my life and your life became a testimony that speaks of Jesus. And so tonight, tonight, what we what we get to rejoice in, you want to come help me, please. Tonight, what we get to rejoice in is that when you and I are joined to Christ, when we are Levites, meaning priests unto God, again, the The the name Levi means to be joined to.

when we're joined to Christ, when my life in belongs to him, when I've yielded it to him, and all of a sudden I take the dead things in my life, that dead staff and that dead rod, and I realize like, man, out of this out of this this thing that the sweeping is God said, you will know you will know who is appointed as leader and this rod will be a testimony to anyone who tries to rebel that this is the purpose's assignment. ment of God. Just like the cross, if I don't care what you say.

I I don't care what anyone anyone on planet Earth thinks about regardless of what their status is, how smart they are, how many degrees they have, how much money they have. Nobody and nothing can change the truth of what the cross has finished. Amen.

>> And so when we look at the cross, it it describes it tells a story that is unwavering and unchanged regardless of opinion. And God was saying to Aaron and Moses, he said, "This rod, the one that that sprouted, budded, blossomed, and brought forth fruit, this rod will be a testimony, a story, a sign to those who want to rebel that when they when they when they remove themselves from the testimony, when they try to put dead wood and not be joined to the Christ, joined to something else, there is absolutely no life there ever." And the sad part is we do that all the time unknowingly. It happens all the time.

It's like you face something and immediately the testimony becomes, oh, I've heard this I've heard this one this one person got that thing and they died and I heard and I heard when this person messed up this way they this is how God taught them a lesson and and all of a sudden your entire life becomes about self-preservation and how do I avoid the story of somebody else that I heard and the only story that matters is the one that when when he rests upon it when he lays upon it when he is joined to it that thing cannot help but bring forth life. It is in his nature. There is no other testimony, no other person.

When you apply them, when you apply the person, when you apply the testimony, when you apply the body and the blood and that truth to a situation, a circumstance, a life, a church, a city, a region, a nation, nothing else can bring forth life in the manner, the way that the Lord, the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ does. It's why, you know, if if you've been coming here uh for any amount of time, if you've received communion with us before, you know that our our manner of taking communion is like it's it's pretty different from from maybe what we're used to in Western church. Um, but we don't do it to be different.

I I don't really that's that's not the point. I don't that's not what we care for. Um, it's not to be different from others.

It's to be Christlike >> to look more like Jesus because in the at the Lord's table as I remember his testimony like we did on on Tuesday uh at the passion uh like we did on Thursday here for Holy Thursday. We remember the testimony of Jesus and we told it. We we tell it not because we forget it.

We tell it because it is a it's the truth, the constitution by which we live by. And we proclaim to heaven, hell, and earth that these are the factors. These are the truths.

This is the one man who determines, dictates, instructs, leads, corrects, and builds us into his nature and his character. And so after Jesus, you know, after Jesus ha hung on the tree, they mocked him, they laughed at him, they pierced his side, he gave up his spirit, the ground began to shake and and this the rocks began to split open and the veil was torn from top to bottom and and all of those who beheld him whether they believed or not. Those who didn't believe remained in a place of hopelessness and those who believed in him thought it was the end.

But we remember today that it was not the end. that Jesus spent three days in hell. But on that third day, on that third day, all of a sudden, the the ground began to shake and the stone that that was sealed and and seemed impossible to move.

stone rolled away and beams of light and glory come radiating from from a tomb from a a hole in a rock that's supposed to be dark and dead. And out of a dark dead place, all of a sudden there's beaming light. And all of a sudden, a place where it's supposed to be still and quiet and silent out of that grave comes up the king of glory.

And Jesus who comes up in resurrection life, walks out of that grave. And as he walked out of that grave, what he brought with him in that moment is the answer for your sin and addiction. It's the answer for your for your family.

The brokenness in your family. This the He's the answer. He brought the forth the answer for your struggling marriage.

He brought forth the answer for the brokenness in your mind. He brought forth the answer for the the confusion and sexuality. He brought forth the answer for for provision.

He brought forth the answer for being lost and mental brokenness and depression and anxiety and fear. And he brought the as he walked out of that grave, he brought forth the answer to all of it. And all he says is do this in remembrance of me.

Nothing else. Jesus walks out of the grave. He reveals himself to many others.

hundreds of others. He begins to open up their eyes to the scriptures. And then and then he hands an assignment to you and I and he says, "Go into all of the earth, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, cleanse the lepers.

I send you now. And because we forget his testimony, what happens is we think, well, I don't know how to heal people and and I don't know how to raise the dead and I don't and and Jesus who says, "Do this in remembrance of me and go and heal the sick." Very simple. And we hear heal the sick and immediately it becomes self-centered again.

Well, I don't know how to do that. And what if I pray and nothing happens? People laugh at me.

Okay, what if I do pray and they do get healed and all of a sudden am I prideful and arrogant? And it be the entire assignment becomes all about us again because not because we're we're wicked, selfish, greedy people, but because outside of the testimony of Jesus, we we look like the other. And then when you put his his his instruction, the great commission into his testimony again, all of a sudden he says, "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, cleanse the lepers, and we come under his testimony." Remember his testimony.

And all of a sudden, it's his testimony that begins to work through. This is what I mean is that when Peter when Peter spoke to the lay man and he says, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk.

Again, we remove the testimony of Jesus. And we think, okay, saying in Jesus name becomes this magic word to see people stand up from wheelchairs. And then we're like, all right, I'm going to go and I'm going to use the magic word in Jesus name.

And nothing happens. And now it's like, well, maybe I need to say it five times. Maybe I need to say it louder.

Maybe I need to be crying when I say it or aggressive or yelling or and all of a sudden it's like in what form do I say the magic word for it to work when in reality what Peter was not doing is using a magic word him saying in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth get up and walk was not a abracadabra moment get up when we say in Jesus name what it is what it's saying it's like saying it's like if I said to you according to the constitution I have rights It's like I don't have to list the entire constitution to you. And so when he says according to the testimony of Jesus, according to the testimony of the one where you put dead wood in his testimony, when you're joined to him, when he rests upon you, get up and walk. When he rests upon your lame legs, when he rests upon your deaf ears, when he rests upon your blind eyes, when his testimony, his testimony rests upon it, get up and walk according to this truth by which we live by.

Get up and walk. It was not a magic word. He was summarizing a greater story, the greatest story, the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was prophesying. He was declaring resurrection Sunday >> that when he walked out of that grave, you are no longer bound to the lame legs that >> you think you are. >> You're no longer bound to your blind eyes.

You're no longer bound to your deaf ears. >> What we do seem to be bound to is our forgetfulness of all that he's done. And so in our house, my my I feel like one of my assignments, one of my assignments at the finding and I think just just as a servant of Jesus is that for the rest of my life, I will declare the testimonies of communion.

The testimony of Jesus in communion and in his resurrection that I I hope that one day we're as a church, we're going to have to fight to not get bored of the story because we hear it so much. And as we fight as a church for the for the holiness and the sacredness and the purity and the power and the the the awe and wonder of the testimony of Jesus that when we seem like we're growing numb to it, we immediately put that thing to death. So that when we retell the testimony again and we read it again and we hear it again, we talk about it again, our hearts get more and more excited with time because we see what he has accomplished, the finished work when he walked out of the grave.

It's why it's why the scripture teaches Paul says uh rejoice always and the thought becomes like well you don't know how bad it is. No, you just don't know how you you're just don't not seeing how good he is. in the most respectful way.

You're blinded to a truth that is greater, which is the resurrection power of Jesus far outweighs that thing that you're you feel like you're a slave to. >> You're captivated by. So, Resurrection Sunday tonight, like I said, uh we're not remembering we're not remembering a guy named Jesus who walked out of the grave.

You know, walking out of a grave is not, like I said, it's not that impressive. Not not not to take away from what Jesus has accomplished, but if if the whole celebration was about a man walking out of a grave, we would be celebrating several men because God's done it. But we are celebrating the one man, Jesus Christ.

When he walked out of that grave, he brought billions and billions and billions with him. And when he walked out of that grave, hell was shrieking. And when he walked out of that grave, heaven exploding with excitement because heaven saw you and I.

And finally, after thousands of years of brokenness and pain and humanity and wickedness and darkness, you and I were to be redeemed. You and I are redeemed back to the father. >> How foolish is it to be to be downcast because of an economy or because I lost my job or because someone said something mean to me.

And I'm not saying those you can't feel the pain of those things. I understand that. But we have something far superior to to celebrate.

>> And so tonight, I just I want us to go back into worship for a little bit. Team, maybe come up. I want us to go back into worship.

And I want us I'm going to ask you like all of us now like we we want to celebrate in a manner where heaven is like what is that noise coming out of Seattle like >> where heaven you know how Jesus says he says when when that with the w when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of his garment. said, "I felt power leave me." I I I want to ask is like our faith in the resurrected Christ and the resurrection power of Jesus uh would be so deeply and greatly celebrated expressed that it pulls on heaven that heaven leaves power leave it because it's Jesus cannot stay away from a hungry bride. It doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be loud.

It just what it absolutely does require is that that the engagement of the heart does not miss Jesus. That we're not blinded by our by our forgetfulness. We're not blinded by the the stuff that happens in life.

We see what happened with Kora. He became blinded to the testimonies of God because he thought he knew better and it led him to be swallowed up by the earth. And as Moses remained faithful to God, Moses remained Aaron remained faithful to God through and through they became faithful leaders that to this day point to friendship with God.

>> Amen. >> Did that make sense? >> Just hear me.

Good. Good. Okay.

All right. I'm gonna ask I'm gonna ask you all to stand up. We're gonna stand up.

And um again, I just want to ask you is for the next 5 to 10 minutes that is is give your all to Jesus. It we're not looking to impress the people around us. Um and we also don't care if they're unimpressed.

It's like we uh unless their testimonies is like Jesus then it just doesn't matter. I'm going to pray and then we'll we'll celebrate. So Jesus, we love you and we are so grateful for the finished work of the cross.

That you didn't have to do all that you did, but you wanted to. What is man that you're mindful of us and yet we are called children of God because of your resurrection. And so tonight, God, we lay our lives down and we rejoice.

We celebrate like Israel around the walls of Jericho as they remembered your testimony, as they declared your testimony and they celebrated your victory. God, we celebrate tonight that when your testimony is applied, there is no dead thing that cannot bear life. We give you all of the glory and all the honor.

Amen. Thank you Jesus. Come in quiet.

Come in close. Give him reverence. Give him love.

Lift him up. Lift him up. Let his fire fill your soul.

Offer him what matterers more. Lift him up. Lift him up.

Come in quiet. Come in close. Give him reverence.

Give him love. Let's lift him up. Lift him up.

Let fire your soul. Offer him what matterers more. Lift him up.

Lift him up. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. Oh, you are holy.

Who is the Lord Almighty? You are holy you are. Sing the song that won't grow.

Name that all of heaven knows. He was and is and is to come. We lift him up.

We sing a song to him. Sing a song that won't grow. The name that all of heaven knows.

Who was and is and is to come. We live tomorrow. Sing the song that won't go.

The name that all of heaven knows who was and is and is to come. We live tomorrow. Oh, you are.

Holy is the Lord mighty. Oh, holy Jesus. Oh, holy is the Lord mighty.

Oh, holy. Who is the Lord mighty? Oh, you are.

Oh, holy is the Lord. Oh mighty. Oh, you are holy.

You are alone mighty, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. The ark is filled with your glory, Lord. The ark is filled with your glory, Lord.

The ark is filled with your glory. Fill our house. Fill the ark with your glory.

Come flood the earth. Come flood your boy. Heat.

Yeah. Heat. Yeah.

Heat. Oh yeah. Heat.

Sing it. Sing it. Holly Holly forever.

Hallelujah. Halle hallelujah. >> Keep singing, keep singing.

Hallelujah. Join the choir of heaven and hallelujah. >> Sing to him forever.

Oh hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. He reigns. He reigns forever.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, there's no one like you.

One more time. One more time. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Halle Hallelujah. Forever more.

Hallelujah. Sing again. Sing again.

Sing again. Heat. Hallelujah.

Forever more. Yeah. Heat.

Oh hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> Is anyone worthy?

Is anyone? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? The lion of Judah who conquered the grave.

He is David's root and the lamb who died who ransom the slave. Is anyone worthy? Is anyone?

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? The lion of Judah who conquered the grave. He is David's root and the lamb who died to ransom the slave.

Is he worthy? Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and gloryy? Is he worthy?

Is he worthy of a blessing and honor and gloryy? Is he worth of this? Is anyone worthy?

Is anyone home? Is anyone able to break this heal and open the scroll? The lion of Judah who conquered the grave.

He is David's brute and the lamb who died to rest on the slave. Is anyone worthy? Is anyone home?

Is anyone able to break this seal and open the scroll? The lion of Judah who conquered the grave. He is David's root and the lamb who died to rest.

Oh, is anyone Is anyone worthy? Is anyone home? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

The lion of Judah will conquer the grave. He is David's root in the lamb who died to raise up the slave. From every people and tribe, every nation and tongue.

He has made us the kingdom of priests to God to rain with the son from every from every people and tribe, every nation and tongue. He has made us the kingdom of priests to God to reign with the sun. Is he worthy?

Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory? Is he worthy? Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory?

Oh, is he worthy? Is he worthy? Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory?

Is he of this? He is. He is.

He is. He is. He is.

He is. He is. He is.

He is. Heat. Yeah.

Heat. Yeah. Heat.

Yeah. Heat. Is anyone worthy?

The lion of Judah will conquer the grave. He is David in the lamb who died to res every nation and tongue. He is the kingdom of praise to God to ru from every people from every people and tribe every nation.

He has made us the kingdom of praise to God to reign with his son. Is he worthy? Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory?

Is he worthy? Is he worthy of all blessing and honor and glory? Is he worthy?

Yeah. Heat. Oh, he's worthy.

Worthy, worthy. He's worthy, worthy, worthy. He's worthy, worthy, worthy.

Come on. He's worthy, worthy, worthy. He's worthy, worthy, worthy.

He's worthy, worthy, worthy. He's worthy, worthy, worthy. He's worthy, worthy, worthy.

He's worthy, worthy, worthy. Heat. Just lift the bra.

Okay, we're going to end the night and we're just going to give Jesus one more shout of praise. Let's not tip Jesus. Let's celebrate the victory of his resurrection.

Let's lift a shout to Jesus. Jesus, we love you and so thankful for all that you've accomplished on the cross and in your resurrection. And I thank you that you have called us children of God, that you've called us friends, that you have made us yours.

And today, Lord, we do not go home remembering someone walking out of a grave. We remember the testimony that prophesies for all of eternity the victory of the one true king, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we bless your name, God.

We thank you. We love you. And in your name we pray.

Amen. Amen. Well, we love you so much and so thankful that you're here to love Jesus with us.

We bless you. Please have a good night. We will either see you Tuesday, Thursday, or next Sunday.

Please drive home safely and uh and have a good night. God bless you.