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Man, this is Easter, He is risen!
And you say, "He is Risen, Indeed!" He is Risen!
Amen! Would you stand with us as we worship our Lord.
Bow your heads with us. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this triumphant day, God.
Through your death and now your resurrection, we have new life.
God, we thank you for that. The covering of your blood so we can be with you in heaven for eternity.
As we sing out to you God, let our words be genuine, let our hearts and our minds be tied to them.
God, don't let us sing these songs while our hearts are far away.
We want to lift your name up, we want to thank you for what you did.
God, we don't want to be distracted by the things in this world that keep our focus from you. So help us to do that now.
As we sing of our love for you.
We pray all of this in Jesus' name, Amen!
We're going to turn our ears to Heaven!
[Music] Turn your ear to heaven, and hear
the noise inside
The sound, of angels' awe
the sound of angels' songs
And all this for a King
We could join and sing
It's all to Christ our King
How constant, how divine
This song of ours will rise
How constant, how divine
This song of ours will rise, will rise...
Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him!
He is holy, He is holy
Turn your gaze to heaven, and raise
A joyous noise
The sounds of salvation come, the sounds of rescued ones
All this for a King, Angels join to sing.
And it's all for Christ our King
Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him!
He is holy, He is holy
Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him!
He is holy, He is holy
Put your hands together!
How infinite and sweet, this love so rescuing
How infinitely sweet, this love that has redeemed
As one we sing...
Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him!
He is Holy! He is Holy!
Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him!
He is holy, He is holy
Alleluia! Alleluia!
He is holy, He is holy
Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him!
He is holy, He is holy
We lift our hands to Him!
[Music]
Please be seated for a second. We're glad you're here!
You came to celebrate with us that he is alive! Isn't that wonderful?
It's Easter and He is risen!
Yes, indeed.
Well, we're so glad you're here.
We'd like you to take a few moments and sign in and register your presence
with us. There's a little brown folder you'll find on the chairs around you.
Pass that along, and let others do the same
take note of those seated near you and greet them in a few moments.
You know after worship service there are goodies out on the patio
There's lots of refreshments and time to get to know one another
We especially want to welcome you that are guests today, we're glad that you're here
We hope that you'll find a
a nice home, a Christian home among family.
There's classes for children that will resume next week as we're all
gathering together as a family of God, so we encourage you to come back
and have your children in the classes that are provided there are wonderful teachers for them.
There are lots and lots of things for you to get involved in here, We're a very busy
church with lots of programs and
Bible studies and things, all kinds of ways that you can engage and learn and grow
and be in fellowship with the body of Christ.
Now we'd like you to take a few moments and greet those that are seated around you
with the right hand of fellowship
All right, as you're finding your seats,
we'll go into a time of worship now.
Before we do that, we're going to have a prayer of confession, just where we get right with God
And we offer to Him the things that keep us from coming into communion with Him.
So if you'd bow your heads with us, Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day
God, you call us to confess our sins.
God, so that we can be in communion with you.
God, you make us righteous through your death on the cross.
And now it's our job, God,
To confess to you, the things that we hold back. The things we do, and the things that we don't do
that aren't edifying to your body.
So God, as we sing these next songs
About your death, burial and resurrection
Help us be mindful of your power in this world, your power in our lives.
God, and help us sing out to you in thankfulness.
We pray all of this in your Holy name, Amen.
[Music]
Look inside the mystery, see the empty cross
See the risen savior, victorious and strong
There's no one else above Him, none as strong to save
He alone has conquered, the power of the grave
Glorious, my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord
Glorious, He stands above the rulers of the earth
(Please stand with us)
Look beyond the tombstone, see the living God
See the resurrected, the ruler of my heart
No one else above him, none to match His worth
The hope of His returning, fills the universe
Glorious, my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord
Glorious, He stands above the rulers of the earth
Glorious! Glorious! Lord, you are…glorious!
[Music, Clapping]
Oh…You are glorious! You are glorious!
Glorious, my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord
Glorious, He stands above the rulers of the earth
Glorious! Glorious! Lord, you are…glorious!
[Music, Clapping]
Oh…You are glorious! You are glorious!
(We sing of how wonderful He is)
Lifting hands in song and dance, humbled by the glory of the cross
We've been redeemed and reconciled, caught up in the splendor of it all
Eternal life You gave, so we will sing a song of praise
How wonderful, how lovely is Your name!
You captivate our hearts, You save us by Your grace
You're the God of mercy, God of love, how we marvel at Your majesty
As we kneel before your holy throne, in the beauty of Your mystery
We're the children of the King, Father, of Your love we'll sing
How wonderful, how lovely is Your name!
You captivate our hearts, You save us by Your grace
And you are closer than, a brother, Jesus
Closer than, a brother, Jesus
Oh, the name of Jesus! Oh, the name of Jesus!
Oh, the name of Jesus! How wonderful, how lovely is Your name!
You captivate our hearts, You save us by Your grace
How wonderful, how lovely is Your name!
You captivate our hearts, You save us by Your grace
[Music]
Amen. You may be seated. Bow your heads with us.
Heavenly Father, as we come into a time of offering…
God, we think upon the gift of life you've given us.
God, help us to know where you can use us.
God, as we leave this place, we don't want our worship to end here.
God, you call us to love the world. Those who are lost, and sick, and needy.
Help us to do that, as we give of our finances
Let those monies be used for Your purposes.
We give back now, we thank you God, for You're great
Greater than all. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
[Music]
The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice
He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice, trembles at His voice
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
Age to age he stands, and time is in His hands
Beginning and the end, beginning and the end
The Godhead three in one, Father Spirit Son
The lion and the lamb, the lion and the lamb
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
You're the name above all names, worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing, how great is our God
(Would you stand with us)
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
You're the name above all names, you are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing, how great is our God
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
Amen! Isn't that awesome music this morning?
Thank you, guys!
We're going to be hearing a little more from them in a few minutes
and we've got a great worship service planned for you all
and you know we've got baptisms today! So we're looking forward to that.
Three of our young people have given their hearts to Jesus,
so we get to celebrate the coming of new life in their lives as they give themselves to Him.
Okay…so back when I was in seminary, and my home church, Malibu Presbyterian,
had an interim pastor, his name was Charlie Shedd. Now some of you may recognize his
name, he's an author and pastor and preacher, a wonderful author...
anyway he and his wife Martha would come up to us, and he would say "How are you?"
And we'd say fine, and then he'd say, "How are you REALLY?"
You know, you can get by with the fine and the niceties and the common responses with how are you
but when they come back to you and say how are you, REALLY?
You know you have to think, do I really want to let them to know what I'm really experiencing?
So how are you? How are you really?
you know there are
a lot of things that confuse us, and oppress us, and depress us
there are disasters, there are shootings in Christian colleges
there are tons of things to make us feel really down and depressed.
But when we come to Easter,
are you able to engage, and celebrate, and renew, in the new life in Christ that we have?
How are you really? Well, we're going to look at John chapter twenty verses one through ten
and so I invite you to turn in your scriptures
to this passage, we also have it up on the screen for you if you'd like to follow up there
Hear now the word of God...
Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed
from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them
They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have laid Him.
Then Peter and the other disciples set out, and went toward the tomb
and the two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first,
and he bent down to look in, and saw the linen wrappings lying there,
but he did not go in. Then Simon came following him, and went into the tomb
and he saw the linen wrappings lying there and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head,
but lying in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed.
For as of yet, they did not understand the scriptures that said He must rise from the dead.
Then the disciples returned to their homes.
May God bless to us the reading and the hearing of His word.
Isn't that a great scripture?
It's not quite like the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
which go into much more detail. John is a little more economic in the way that he's giving us details.
He's giving us things that have double meanings, that have deeper meanings
There's an economy of space here. He wants you to hear just a few important things.
John sets the stage this first Easter Sunday by reporting that it was early, and that it was the first day of the week, and that it was still dark.
Jesus' disciples who had given their hearts and their minds and their lives for those three years to follow him,
were down and discouraged and depressed, and totally out of it.
Hiding from the temple police and the Romans and everybody trying to figure all this out.
Their Lord and Master whom they'd seen calm the waves, and raise the dead, and heal the sick had been killed.
It was not their expectation. It didn't go according to their plans. It was dark in their hearts and their minds.
All of their expectations and dreams were crushed, when Jesus hung on that cross.
Amidst this darkness of Christ's crucifixion, little did they know that a new day was dawning.
A new era, a new age was about to be revealed.
John tells us that Mary Magdalene was the first to arrive at the tomb while it was still dark.
Now the other gospels tell us that she wasn't alone, that there were several other women with her,
and they were there to anoint the Lord's body with spices.
And she did not let the darkness of her despair nor the fears of her own safety keep her from wanting to be near where Jesus was.
He was the one who had cast seven demons out of her. He was the one that had compassion on her like no one had ever had on her.
She was at the cross on Friday. She witnessed his torturing and his death.
She witnessed where they laid his body in a tomb, and rolled the stone in front of it.
She knew that he was dead. And then before dawn she returned.
But as Mary approached the tomb, she could tell something was terribly wrong. The stone was rolled away and the body was not there.
So she ran to tell Peter and to tell John. At that moment Mary Magdalene could not see God at work.
She could not see the bigger picture that was unfolding.
When it is dark and we can't see because of our own grief and pain and doubt,
that's when we are tempted to believe that God's love and power are not enough to get us through.
It's at such times that we live stuck in Good Friday, isn't it?
And we can't see Easter Sunday coming. But Mary has much to teach us in those times. She went to the tomb while it was still dark.
Despite her terrible grief and her fear, Mary got up and went to last place that she saw Jesus.
And even though she knew that he was dead, she went anyway. As useless as it seemed, she needed to be where Jesus was.
In this act, Mary shows us what faithfulness in the dark really is all about.
When our prayers just seem to hit the ceiling and bounce back on our heads,
we just go and pray anyway. When we're reading the scriptures, and it's just so many words on a page.
We read them anyway. And when church feels like we're just going through the motions, you know, we go anyway, don't we?
Because we have faith, we know, that when we're with Jesus, good things happen.
We go to the place where we last saw Him, even when it's still dark.
Even when we know it's in vain. But we know something, something might happen.
I can recall certain times in my life when it was really dark,
I was depressed, I was crying out, "Lord I don't understand why are you allowing this to happen to me?"
And I could have turned my back on the Lord, and I could have walked away from him, and tried some other thing.
But you know what? I decided that He is the Lord and, He is in control, and I needed to be where he was because in Him,
I would know life, i would know forgiveness and love and grace and mercy, and renewal like no one else.
I may not feel it right away, I may not even experience it.
But I'm not going to let go of Jesus. While it is still dark, don't let go of Him. He is the victory won, and in Him, we are secure.
Well, Mary Magdalene ran to report to Peter and John, what she had seen and what she experienced, that Jesus was not in the tomb.
She said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.
That "we" there indicates that she was not alone, that there were other women with her.
And you can just feel in this sentence the urgency and the emotion behind Mary's confusion and wonder about what is going on.
Both Peter and John, who refers to himself by the way as the one who Jesus loved, literally raced through the streets of Jerusalem,
and you know i think there was a little competition between peter and John, you kind of pick that up through the Gospel.
And John outran Peter and got there first, he stops at the entrance to the tomb, and he stoops down and looks in and he sees the linen wrappings lying there.
You know, I think he was respectful and reverent, perhaps the Jewish laws were on his mind, and he didn't want to enter into the tomb of a dead person on this Passover feast.
But then Peter comes up, he catches up and you can just hear him huffing and puffing, and he busts right into the tomb like a bull in a china closet!
And he sees the linen wrappings there on the shelf and he sees the headdress folded up neatly and separated off to the side.
And then John gets enough courage to go in himself and he witnesses it all, and the scriptures say
he saw, and he believed. He believed in the resurrection.
What did he see?
He saw these wrappings. You know if if it was grave robbers or the Roman guards stealing the body of Jesus,
they weren't going to unwrap his body leave them there, all neat and tidy, and in their place before they took the body out.
No, they would take the whole thing.
It's as if Jesus' body just came out of those grave cloths, and there was a nice, neat thing, and he folded up this head covering and laid it aside.
Maybe even a signal to his disciples. We don't know. We're speculating. But when John saw this, he believed.
John is the first person recorded to believe in the resurrection.
There was an empty tomb, the linen wrappings, and the folded and separate cloth,
he connected the dots. He knew it, he saw, and believed.
Now John is simply asking his readers here to consider the evidence neatly laid out in his Gospel, and to believe as he has believed.
In verse nine John wrote that they did not understand the scriptures that He must rise from the dead,
and this was John's way of saying that on the basis of the evidence before his own eyes he believed that the resurrection had taken place,
despite his ignorance at the moment of scriptural support.
In fact it was the resurrection of Jesus that enlightened their understanding of scripture,
so that later they could see it even more clearly.
And in Luke chapter twenty four, Luke gives us the account that later that day, two disciples were walking on their way to the village of Emmaus,
and Jesus appeared with them, and he was able to share with them from
the old testament all the scriptures that helped them understand that the Messiah must first suffer and die and rise again.
So even Jesus would teach them later,
and of course later that day Peter and John would be in the upper room that day, and they would see the resurrected Jesus in-person!
John didn't need to see Jesus however at this moment, to know that He was alive.
He believed when he saw the empty tomb.
Now the empty tomb is an invitation to us to seek out the living Christ, not a dead Jesus.
Dale Bruner, a scholar and author writes that the paragraph that began with the rising sun and a faithful woman ends yes,
with the new birth of the first believer in the resurrection but with a certain aura of mystery, suspense and incompletion.
You see, John is inviting us to read on in the story. He's telling us, don't stop there...
Don't ponder this and not know what's coming next, keep reading!
Mary returns and sees Jesus. Jesus appears in the upper room, there is testimony here that goes beyond the grave.
These are powerful testimonies fulfilled in scripture and over thousands of years, Christians have affirmed again and again
That they have met the living Christ.
The apostle Paul wrote that there were over five hundred eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus at that time.
There's more evidence that Jesus is alive, than there is any evidence of that he is dead and buried and in a cave somewhere.
You know, Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel wrote a couple books, Josh McDowell, The Evidence that Demands a Verdict, how many have read that book? A few of you…
I commend that book and Lee Strobel's book, The Case for Easter. Anybody read that one?
There's another great book if you want to dig deeper in this apology and understanding the defense that He is indeed risen from the grave.
Those who embrace the resurrection point us to search deeper, to understand more,
and when we do, Jesus meets us there. While you're still in the dark, turn to Jesus. Seek Him out,
and He will reveal Himself to you. John and Peter went back to their homes, back to where they were staying.
Peter had denied Jesus three times, he was in pain, he was in grief, he needed process and to work things out and figure it all out
But God didn't leave him there that long. He met him, and revealed Himself to him.
Or perhaps you're here today struggling in the same way as Peter and John.
You want to believe, but there's just too much history, too much pain, too much sorrow, too much loss.
Maybe too much doubt. If there's only one thing that you remember from this message today,
that I want you to take home with you, is that it's for those very same reasons that Christ died for you.
And was resurrected, and has given you new hope. Turn to Him in your darkness, go to the tomb, see and believe.
He took our pain and our failures our losses, our confusion, and bore them on the cross,
so that we might be set free, and given a new life.
He won the victory over darkness, and He is alive. Because He lives, we shall live also.
You know what? We have a resurrection coming.
Can I get an amen to that? I know we're Presbyterians, but we have a resurrection coming!
God got ahold of me, I believed, and there's a resurrection that has taken place in me, and is taking place in you right now.
And it is exciting!
Because that resurrection isn't just something we look forward to, although it's going to be glorious when we're all in heaven together, but you know what?
Our resurrection starts right now.
you don't have to remain the same, stuck in same old habits in the same old person.
Christ died for that, and He's risen to give you new life.
Just as we will see in the baptism of these dear ones.
They proclaim that Christ is alive, and we are happy to celebrate their new life in Him.
It's a transformation. You would have never recognized me before I became a Christian, if you knew me back then and know me now.
I was just a beach kid in Malibu. All I wanted to do was go surfing, just like Kevin.
[laughter]
I can see it in your faces. I know that the holy spirit is working even as i speak, changing and transforming and raising faith in you.
Now isn't that a great thing?
Mary's returning was rewarded...
Yeah, you see? We're starting to loosen up a little bit here, this is a good thing…
We're not the chosen frozen anymore are we?
[laughter]
Mary's returning was rewarded with seeing the risen Lord, if you read on in the story,
you'll see that she returned back to the tomb to just try to figure things out, and Jesus appeared to her, and spoke with her,
and she was the very first one to see the resurrected Lord.
Don't give up. Return again and again to where you last saw Jesus.
If you've never seen Him before, come! We'll be glad to point him out to you…
To share with you, to introduce you to Him. We'd love to pray with you, we'd love to help you embrace this wonderful resurrected Lord that we know, and we're going to be with for eternity.
You have a resurrection coming, and we're all excited to be with you together in heaven. You know, the victory is won because Jesus is alive.
I love what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians fifteen…
He says, "Where oh death is your victory, where oh death is your sting?"
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The resurrection is good news because it is good truth.
I mean, why else would these guys who were down and depressed, and hiding, suddenly overnight turn into enthusiastic witnesses of the resurrection, and go to their death,
believing that Jesus rose from the dead? And that Jesus won the victory over death and sin for them?
Why else would they do that? Except that Jesus did indeed rise from the grave.
You have a resurrection coming, and you don't have to remain in the dark. Amen? Let us pray.
Oh Lord our God, thank you for the resurrection not only that Christ is raised from the dead, but he was the first born out of the grave that we might follow and receive new life.
thank you lord for this great truth that we embrace today and celebrate.
We pray oh Lord, that you would be with all of us as we return back to our homes, back to our communities, in the places that we work,
back into the world where people are still com in the darkness. Help us to be your light.
A light on the hill directing people to you. And that they might embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior as well.
We pray Lord for those who are hungry and thirsty, for those who are who are displaced from their from their homes because a tornadoes and other disasters.
We pray for those who are in famines and caught in avalanches and other places. We pray God for you to intervene to bring healing and rescue,
and that you would provide peace and comfort during their times of loss.
Oh God, we are your servants, and we are your people, and we respond to your presence in our lives and your resurrection in faith.
And we pray God that you would increase that faith so that others might know you are alive, and that you are indeed the resurrection.
We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Would you all stand with us?
[music]
We sing you stood before creation, eternity in his hands…
You stood before creation, eternity in Your hands.
You spoke the earth into motion. My soul now to stand.
You stood before my failure, carried the cross for my shame.
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders. My soul now to stand.
So what can I say. What can I do.
But offer this heart O God, completely to You.
So I'll walk upon salvation. Your Spirit alive in me.
This life to declare Your promise. My soul now to stand.
So what could I say. What could I do.
But offer this heart O God, Completely to You.
So what could I say. What could I do.
But offer this heart O God, Completely to You.
And I'll stand, With arms high and heart abandoned,
In awe of the One who gave it all.
So I'll stand. My soul Lord to You surrendered.
All I am is Yours.
[music]
And I'll stand, With arms high and heart abandoned,
In awe of the One who gave it all.
So I'll stand. My soul Lord to You surrendered.
All I am is Yours.
And I'll stand, With arms high and heart abandoned,
In awe of the One who gave it all.
So I'll stand. My soul Lord to You surrendered.
All I am is Yours. All I am is Yours. All I am is Yours.
[music]
It's the sweet, sweet, sweet presence of Jesus
How it moves my soul, how it makes me whole
It's the sweet, sweet, sweet presence of Jesus
How it sets me free, brings me liberty
It takes me to a higher place, where there's amazing grace
Takes me to a higher place, where I can see his face
It's the sweet, sweet, sweet presence of Jesus
How it moves my soul, how it makes me whole
It's the sweet, sweet, sweet presence of Jesus
How it sets me free, brings me liberty
It takes me to a higher place, where there's amazing grace
Takes me to a higher place, where I can see his face
Shout for joy, all you children of the Lord
The Almighty is here, removing doubt and fear
Shout for joy, let the hurting hear and rejoice
The Almighty is here, moving everywhere
It's the sweet, sweet, sweet presence of Jesus
How it moves my soul, how it makes me whole
It's the sweet, sweet, sweet presence of Jesus
How it sets me free, brings me liberty
It takes me to a higher place, where there's amazing grace
Takes me to a higher place, where I can see his face
Shout for joy, all you children of the Lord
The Almighty is here, removing doubt and fear
Shout for joy, let the hurting hear and rejoice
The Almighty is here, moving everywhere
Isn't this great? Jesus is the resurrection and the life!
And He's here, and He's proving over and over that He's changing lives.
You have a resurrection coming, the world has a resurrection coming!
Go and share the good news, that He is alive!
Go in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen!
Happy Easter!
[music]