Living in the Power of the Cross

In this powerful Good Friday message, Pastor Chris Teien walks through Isaiah 53 and uncovers how Jesus’ suffering and death were part of God's redemptive plan—prophesied 700 years before they happened. With thoughtful exposition and heartfelt application, this episode challenges listeners to respond to Christ’s sacrifice with faith, gratitude, and renewed commitment.

Key Points:

1.Jesus Endured Rejection So You Could Be Redeemed – Isaiah 53:1-3 reminds us that Jesus faced rejection and suffering to fulfill the substitutionary atonement. He took the place of sinners, even when the world didn’t recognize Him (John 1:10-11).

2.Jesus Carried Your Sin to the Cross – Isaiah 53:4-6 emphasizes how Jesus bore the weight of our iniquities, offering healing and peace. Cross references: 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23.

3.Jesus Willingly Went to the Cross to Take Your Place – Isaiah 53:7-9 portrays Jesus as the silent Lamb who endured injustice and death without defense, fulfilling God's redemptive will (Luke 23:4, John 19:34).

4.Jesus Was Crushed to Make You Right with God – Isaiah 53:10-11 shows that it was God’s will to crush Him, satisfying divine justice. His suffering resulted in our justification (Romans 3:25-26, Romans 5:1).

5.Jesus Won the Victory to Set You Free to Live a New Life – Isaiah 53:12 celebrates Christ’s triumph. He bore our sin and now offers us victorious new life (Romans 4:25, Romans 6:4, Romans 8:11).

Personal Stories from Pastor Chris:
 Pastor Chris shares how people often misunderstand the appearance and nature of Jesus and how his own perceptions changed after coming to faith at Bible camp. He reflects on how God uses average, unexpected people to accomplish extraordinary things. He also highlights the emotional depth of rejection and the hope we have through Christ’s healing and victory.

Notable Quotes:

• “Jesus endured rejection so that you could be redeemed.”
• “He was crushed—not because God was cruel—but because that’s what justice demanded for sin.”
• “God had a plan. Jesus worked the plan. Now we’re invited to receive and share the results.”

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Reflect deeply on Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice—what it means for you personally.
2. Confess known sins and thank God for His mercy during communion.
3. Boldly share the Gospel, even if it risks rejection.
4. Ask Jesus for healing—physical or spiritual—and trust His sovereign plan.

Scripture References:

• Isaiah 53:1–12 – Prophecy of the Suffering Servant
• John 1:10-11 – Jesus rejected by His own
• Romans 3:25-26 – Sacrifice of atonement
• Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates His love
• 1 Peter 2:24 – By His wounds we are healed
• Romans 6:4 – New life in Christ
• Acts 2:23-24 – Jesus crucified and raised

Keywords:
 Good Friday, Isaiah 53, Jesus' sacrifice, atonement, prophecy, cross, redemption, resurrection, communion, spiritual healing

Challenge:
 This episode encourages listeners to live in the power of the cross by recognizing Christ’s sacrifice, responding in faith, and walking in the victory He provides.

250418

The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

Chris T 0:17

Today we gather together to remember that Jesus died on the cross, but there's movies that you can watch. The Passion of the Christ is a very gruesome movie you can watch. You can read through the Gospels. I thought today would be an interesting time to remember that Jesus going to the cross and enduring all that he did was part of the plan. Part of the plan that was found in Isaiah 700 years before Jesus actually went through the motions and went through the time to go to the cross and be nailed to the cross and all of that. But when you read through Isaiah 52 and Isaiah 53, it gives you the play-by-play of what would happen. And I can't see how any person could have produced that on their own. If Jesus said, Oh, well, looks like in Isaiah 53 we've got a to-do list disciples, so we need to make this happen. I don't think if you read the account of what the Romans did to Jesus and what the Pharisees did to Jesus, that Jesus could have made this happen if he tried. So, number one, my first point on your sheet up, but number one, Jesus endured rejection so you could be redeemed. Jesus endured rejection so that you could be redeemed. You and I are afraid of rejection. Sometimes we don't want to share our faith because we're afraid we'll be rejected. Sometimes we don't want to post spiritual things online because we're afraid we'll be rejected. And Jesus knew that he would be rejected, that he would be crushed. Let me throw out a theology term real quick: Atonement. Jesus died in our place, the substitutionary atonement. He died for us. So it's good when we learn theology. So I think I've mentioned before on Audible or on ebooks, there's a book or audible book, an audio book called Theology for People in a Hurry from a guy from Dallas Theological Seminary. I really like that one. So concise points, because it's for people in a hurry. Millard Erickson has the intro to theology, which is a fair-sized book, and then the regular theology, which is like a really big book. Millard Erickson and Wayne Grudenham are two good resources for theology. For atonement, Millard Erickson says Christ's death was vicarious. He took upon himself the suffering and punishment for sin that we rightly deserved. And Wayne Grudum says Jesus died as a substitute for us, taking the penalty that we should have borne. Why? Because our sin separates us from God. Because we're all sinners in need of a savior, and there isn't anything that we can do on our own to be made right with God. Our iniquities have a separate have separated us from God, and that is why Jesus came. Jesus came to be the sacrifice in our place. Jesus came to do what we couldn't. Jesus came so that he could purchase the salvation of all whom would believe in him. So Jesus endured rejection so that you could be redeemed. Isaiah 53, 1. So I'm just going to go through Isaiah 53, verses 1 through 12, one verse at a time, and comment it, comment on it a bit before we go to communion. And my hope is that you'll think about it. And when you go to communion and prayer, you will be thankful. You will be, you'll remember the things that Jesus endured. Isaiah 53, 1. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? So for 2,000 years, Jesus has made the offer. The price has been paid for those who will believe upon Jesus, but they re people refuse to believe. Maybe you refuse to believe. There's people who refuse to believe the message. In Jesus' day, there were people who refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. There are people that are religious experts who refuse to believe that Jesus really is who he said he is, and that the Bible is true. And so for us to believe, we have to be humble. We have to seek a source of information that we trust. The Bible, rightly interpreted, rightly divided, can give us the hope without hearing. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If you don't have a lot of faith, maybe it's because you're not spending any time in God's Word. And I'd encourage you, maybe you should start. And if you do, don't start like a novel. Don't start on page one. I mean, Genesis is interesting and Exodus is interesting. And then it gets a little weird through chronicles and numbers, and but it's good history. But maybe you want to start in the New Testament. Maybe you want to start in the book of John or Philippians or something like that, Galatians, Romans, and read it through. Maybe get a good study Bible. I like the life application study Bible. But to believe the message, to be invested in the message, a true Christian is one who says that I believe what's in that book, and I'm going to base my life upon it. I'm going to invest my life in it. I'm going to sacrifice my life because Jesus has sacrificed for me. That doesn't mean you're going to be persecuted on a cross. You may never suffer persecution, but you may sacrifice time. You may sacrifice resources. You might sacrifice relationships with people who turn against you because you say that you want to follow Jesus. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? It's pretty amazing that you and I have this opportunity to hear about Jesus, to know about Jesus, that we live in a country where people can share about Jesus. There's a lot of dumb and bad videos out there, but there's a lot of good videos on YouTube and TikTok and reels and whatever, and some are extremely inspirational. When you're tuned into the right channel and you get the right information, it can motivate you, it can captivate you, it can educate you, and it can empower you to make a difference in people's lives. And I'm convinced that when you're tuned in to the right thing, when you're reading your Bible, when you're listening to Christian stuff. In the old days, Christian radio used to carry, actually, I think Psalm FM does, more programs like radio programs. Now you can actually podcast stuff, but there's so many ways for you to be educated and filled besides just coming here. Church is awesome. One of the reasons to come to church is not just to hear what I have to say, but to encourage each other and build each other up. And maybe your purpose for here is actually to come alongside somebody and encourage them, befriend them, and make a connection so that they have a friend in this local church in the family of God. What a good thing. But do you truly believe in God's saving power through the suffering of Jesus? Even if you don't fully understand it, whom have who has believed our message? Do you believe? Verse 2. Verse 2. Now, this is about Jesus. He grew up before him like a tender shoot, like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. You know, there are some pretty attractive people out there. There's tall people, strong people, people with a lot of hair, people with a lot of muscle definition, people, you know, that when they when people see them, they just want to hear what they have to say. I mean, celebrities. Celebrities portray like TV actors. They portray somebody in a movie or on TV. That's not who they are, that's not their role, but that's who they pretend to be. And so people get excited about that and then nominate them or elect them into politics when actually they're more pretenders. I don't read too far into that, but just this idea that if Jesus showed up and he was like super strong, I mean, if he was like, if he had like Samson's look or, you know, muscle tone and you know, King Saul, he was pretty tall. And if he tied all that together and everybody's like, yeah, we want to follow that guy because he's he's he's the greatest. But here it was prophesied that Jesus was gonna be overlooked, that he was gonna be born into a poor family, that there wasn't gonna be anything about him that really stood out. So to us, we see him as incredibly beautiful because he's our Savior. But back in that day, there wasn't anything that was striking about him. And maybe that's why he can relate to us, why he's the high priest that can sympathize with us and our weaknesses, because he's been through the sadness and the difficulty, he's been tempted, he's gone through all that hard stuff. And so if you're just average looking, praise God, Jesus was too, according to the scripture. He had no beauty or majesty. Why? So it wouldn't attract us to him. Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. And I don't really know what Jesus looked like. I remember when I was a high schooler that I didn't really want to follow Jesus. I really got serious about following Jesus at Bible camp when I was probably like ninth, tenth grade. But for a while I had this concept that from like the 16th century paintings or whatever year that was, that Jesus was like this offemin, wimpy, girly looking guy, and I wasn't interested. But then I got truly saved and realized that's not what Jesus looked like at all. My guess is he was pretty rugged, being a carpenter and all. So he walked a lot, climbed mountains, did all sorts of stuff. My guess is that he was exactly the way that God wanted him to be for his time here. He didn't come from worldly power, wealth, or charisma. People missed out on who he truly was because they didn't really think that he was anybody. And that was prophesied 700 years before that's the way it was to be. Sometimes people are excited about the large crowds and the big exciting things and the churches that are full of money and all the hype and everything like that. And they want to worship in a place like that because it's so exciting, and they think to themselves, I just feel so like the pastor was so anointed, and now I feel so hyped. And then we, my wife and I were visiting a charismatic church that had a pastor that people would say that kind of stuff. And turned out that after a while, people are like, I'm just not feeling it. And then they leave the church. And it's really not as much the feeling as it is the faith. I mean, you should hopefully feel comfortable enough. We even turned the heat up for you to be here tonight, so you're not freezing, but just to worship and know that sometimes God works through the ordinary, sometimes God acts through the usual people, the least suspecting ones, God can do great things through. And maybe you think that you're not good enough, but I think that you are good enough, and God can do amazing things through you if you would be faithful and if you would remember that Jesus, that it was planned, that he would be an average-looking guy, and that was part of the plan. Next verse. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain, like one from whom people hide their faces. He was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Despised in Hebrew means to be regarded with contempt or worthlessness. Jesus was treated as insignificant. So people really didn't like Jesus, except the people who followed Jesus, those who love Jesus. Jesus was deeply misunderstood and rejected by the very people he came to save. He would be despised, avoided, and treated as insignificant. Think about it. He was rejected in his hometown of Nazareth, it says in Luke 4. In Luke 22, he was betrayed by Judas for some coins. He was abandoned by his closest disciples after he was arrested in Mark 14. So after his arrest, every one of his disciples deserted him and fled. And then Peter, who tried to hang around, denied him three times in Luke chapter 22. Then he was mocked by Roman soldiers. And if you look into that, it appears that it was a regiment or a battalion of Roman soldiers. So one Bible commentary said that was six hundred Roman soldiers that gathered together to mock Jesus, to put a purple robe on him, to put a crown of thorns on his head, and to say he saved others, but he can't save himself in Matthew 27, 42. And just like it said in what I read in the beginning of this in Isaiah 52, people turned their faces from him, failing to see his true worth. But Jesus was here because he was on a mission. He was on a mission to teach us how to live. He was on a mission to die so that we could live forever. In John 1:10, it says he was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Even his own people rejected him, and he understands rejection. A lot of us carry pain in different ways. There's all sorts of people and all sorts of situations and all sorts of life experiences and all sorts of fears. And a lot of people are carrying a lot of stuff. And Jesus can understand it. Jesus understands it. We should take it to him in prayer. And ask yourself: are you willing to be rejected? Are you willing to be like Jesus and be rejected for pleasing the audience of one, for pleasing the Lord, for doing what's right, for sharing your faith, for living on purpose, for seeing the Bible as true, for standing for morality, for making a difference in the world. Are you willing to be rejected? Because we're in a spiritual battle, and I'm pretty sure Satan will do everything he can to shut you down and cool you off if you're on fire for Jesus trying to make a difference. Number two, Jesus carried your sin to the cross. Jesus carried your sin to the cross. Verse 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted. The people in that day wrongly assumed that Jesus was being punished by God for his own sins. Had healed the sick, he had comforted the broken, and ultimately carried the full weight of our sin and sorrow to the cross. And then that physical suffering and emotional grief, people thought that he had done this to himself, because if he truly was the Messiah, if he truly was powerful, then he could easily get himself off of the cross. He could easily get himself down. But he didn't. He didn't just feel compassion, he carried our brokenness so we could be made whole. What pain or burden might you be holding on to today that you need to surrender to Jesus? Maybe communion time would be a good time to do that. Maybe you need to talk to somebody. You know, we have a counselor, Christian counselor downstairs on Mondays and Tuesdays that you might be able to talk to. You can find her information on our website. Verse 5. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Transgression speaks of rebellion against God, and iniquities refer to guilt and moral perversion. And Jesus was sinless, Jesus was perfect, Jesus didn't do any of that, but he took that on himself when he paid for our sin on the cross. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was physically pierced. So he is literally pierced by nails in his hands and his feet, according to John chapter 20, verse 25, and a spear was thrust into his side. So they can make sure that he was dead in John 1934. So his wounds, both physical and spiritual, are the means through which we are healed from sin's curse. And then Peter restates that in 1 Peter 2, 24 about Jesus. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. Is it just mean that we're healed because Jesus, his stripes, his wounds, because Jesus went through that, that we're just healed of spiritual things, that we're just healed of sin? Or is there an open door in the atonement for us to ask for Jesus to heal us? I think that we are not guaranteed healing, but we should, if we are sick, if we're in need, in the book of James, it tells us that we should ask to be prayed for. James 5 14 instructs believers to call on the elders and to pray in faith for the sick. And so I actually carry a little thing of oil with me, and you can we can pray and even anoint you with oil, as it says in the Bible. If somebody is in need of healing, I think that we should ask for it. I think that we should pray for it. We have an opportunity to ask Jesus to forgive us of our sin and to help us with our physical problems, physical maladies. And sometimes we won't pray because we don't think he'll answer. We don't have enough faith. And really, the faith is that Jesus is sovereign and he will choose to heal us if he wants to, and heal not heal us if he doesn't want to. He left Paul with a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, but he took up our infirmities and bore our diseases. I think that there is a case and a place for healing in the atonement, and we should ask for it. But we should also know that we might not get the healing now. We might, we might not. I've seen people healed amazing and remarkably, and other people uh endure with their illness and sickness. Uh 1 Corinthians 15 promises that in the future resurrection believers will receive glorified healed bodies. So there's that guarantee. And then Revelation 21.4 says there's a promise that one day all suffering will be no more, all pain will be gone. And so we will ultimately be healed. But we could be healed today if we would pray for it and ask for it and trust God and see what he wants to do with us. So I encourage you to do that. Isaiah 53, 6 says, We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Jesus is the good shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep, and sometimes we act like sheep, willfully going in the wrong direction, willfully running off to the wrong pasture, willfully eating the wrong food, willfully being in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of those things can affect sheep. And we are definitely like sheep. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. That was prophesied 700 years before Jesus came. If you look at the Gospels, you see that people still did that. If you look around today, people still do that. People still in the church do that. We are like sheep in need of a shepherd to guide us. Romans 5.8 says that God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn't wait for us to be good enough. He didn't wait for us to get it all together. He didn't wait for us to go to a seminar, take a class, memorize the Bible. Jesus came to die for us while we were still sinners. And he loves us so much that he doesn't want to leave us where we're at, but he wants us to grow. He wants us to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. He wants us to grow in effectiveness, he wants us to grow in power to make a difference in the world. And those are all good things because if not, people in the world are earning a lifetime, an eternal lifetime of separation from God, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. So the gift has already been paid for. The gift just needs to be received. The gift needs to be received. The gift is one that when you receive it, you can share it with others. And it is a good thing to share the gift of Jesus with others, because number three, Jesus willingly went to the cross to take your place. Jesus willingly went to the cross to take your place. Now you might not think you're that bad of a person, but sin, any kind of sin in the eyes of a holy God, separates us from God in such a way that we cannot have fellowship with God. That sin disqualifies us, that sin cuts us off, that sin makes it so that opportunity isn't there. But Jesus took on our sin and exchanged it for his righteousness so that we could have a relationship with the Father, that we would actually be adopted as children of God, that we would actually have an opportunity to be considered children of God. So the Bible does not say everybody is a child of God, so there might be a creation of God, but the true children of God are those ones who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And Jesus willingly went to the cross to take your place. When he did, he was oppressed and afflicted. Yet he did not open his mouth, he was led like a lamb to the slaughter. As a sheep before its shear is silent, so he did not open his mouth. He was falsely accused, he was mocked, he was beaten and condemned, yet he remained silent. He didn't offer a reason, he didn't protest or fight back. Like a sacrificial lamb, he quietly endured what he could have stopped at any moment, and his silence was not weakness, his silence was strength under control, motivated by love and obedience. He chose not to defend himself so that he could stand in our place and fulfill God's redemptive plan. Verse 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of my people, he was punished. So he had a premature death for the transgressions of his people. In Jesus' trial, he faced injustice. He was arrested under false charges. He was tried in haste during the night and sentenced to die, even though Pilate declared him innocent in Luke 23, verse 4 and 14. No one from his generation stepped in to defend him and said he was cut off from the land of the living, meaning he was violently killed. But this wasn't random and deserved. It was for our transgressions he was punished. Jesus was judged unjustly by men, so we could be declared righteous before God. And do you grasp that? Do you understand that? Do you celebrate that? Do you praise Jesus because of all that he has done? Verse 9, he was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Jesus died between two criminals, assigned to death with the wicked. Luke 23, verses 32 and 33. Yet he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, fulfilling the phrase with the rich in his death. So despite the shameful end, Jesus was totally innocent. He committed no violence, told no lies, and lived a sinless life. And his purity made him the perfect substitute for our sins. And every part of that was prophesied, every part of that was foretold, every part of that was God's plan. Number four, Jesus was crushed to make you right with God. And then look at that. They're like, why did it have to be so harsh? What is it crushed? Crushed. Why did Jesus have to endure such suffering? And it wasn't because God was being unfair, but because God is so righteous and holy and pure, that was the pay the price that was required, the price that was needed to redeem us. And Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament sacrifices by offering himself once for all. And though he died, this verse also hints of resurrection. So let me read the verse. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. And though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. So he knew that he was going to go through this, that he was going to take upon our sin on the cross, that he was going to suffer. And the word crush in Hebrew means to bruise, to break, to smite, to oppress under pressure. It's an idea of being violently broken down, deeply wounded, completely shattered physically, emotionally, and spiritually, intense suffering or divine judgment. And Jesus went through that for you and I. Jesus went through that to pay for the sins of mankind for a sacrifice of atonement. So actually, in the I used the New Living Translation here, but in so everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God's glorious standard in Romans 3.23. And so I've sinned, you've sinned, we all sinned. Yet God in his grace freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sins. So another NIV says the sacrifice of atonement. I mentioned what atonement was in the beginning. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past. So God looks forward to the sin debt being paid by Jesus for the Old Testament people. So Jesus paid for the sins of the people in the past, in his past, and the Old Testament, those people. And Jesus paid for the sins of the people then and the people in the future, and for us and for all who will believe the message. For he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just and makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. So God had a plan. God worked the plan. God so loved the world that he gave his only son, Jesus. Jesus so loved you and I that he did all of this for us. It was the plan. It is an amazing thing for us to know, to enjoy, and to share. Isaiah 53, 11 says, After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge. My righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. So Jesus took the punishment we deserved, satisfying God's justice so we could receive his mercy. The cross shows both the seriousness of our sin and the greatness of God's love. Jesus didn't just die, he died in our place to make us right with God. And to be justified, Jesus would see the light of life and be satisfied, knowing his suffering accomplished its purpose. Through his obedience and intimate knowledge of the Father's will, Jesus the righteous servant would justify many, declaring them righteous before God. He didn't just remove sin, he gave us righteousness. Romans 5:1, therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through Christ Jesus our Lord. And justify means to declare righteous, to acquit, a legal term used in the courtroom to describe a judge, declaring someone innocent, not guilty, when we place our faith in Jesus. We are found not guilty because Jesus has covered our sin. It is a passive in the Greek tense, it's passive. Justification is a complete action done by God on our behalf. It's through faith, not by works, and it results in peace with God. Have you trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? And number five, the last point, Jesus won the victory to set you free to live a new life. Verse 12, therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors, for he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. And for all of eternity, Jesus will remember and celebrate that. For every person that comes into his presence, every person allowed into heaven, every person enjoying heaven for all eternity, Jesus will look back and remember when he paid the price and realize the results, and sees you, and realized he paid and sees he paid for you to know him and to serve him and to live for him. And someday he'll reward us for being faithful, for believing the message, for following his ways and doing his will. Romans 4 25, he was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Romans 6 4. We were therefore buried with him through baptism unto order into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. And that's what we're going to celebrate at Easter. That is the most exciting thing is the resurrection, and that you and I not only can have an opportunity to live forever, but we can live a new life. A new life in Jesus, a life of purpose, a life of hope, a life of promise, a life that makes a difference. Romans 8:11. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you. Which means that we are not alone in this, we have the Holy Spirit to help us, to teach us, to encourage us, to comfort us, to help us to understand Scripture, to empower us, to share our faith, and we all get a spiritual gift. And it is all very exciting. Let me give you seven things I came up with. One, you can reflect on Jesus' sacrifice, because it says, This body is given for you, and this cup is a new covenant in my blood. You can confess any known sin the Holy Spirit brings to mind and receive forgiveness if we confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins. You can thank him for his grace. You can thank him for your forgiveness, for his mercy, for his gift of salvation. 2 Corinthians 9 15 says, Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. You can praise him for all that he's done and all that he's doing and all that he's going to do as your Savior, Redeemer, and King. Praise Him for going to the cross. Praise Him for allowing you to be invited into this life of faith we enjoy. You can recommit your life to following Jesus. You can renew your devotion to Christ and invite him to lead you in your thoughts, your decisions, and your daily walk. Romans 12, 1, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies a living sacrifice. You can pray for others. You can pray for people that you think about or people that are sitting right in front of you. You can pray for others and you can look forward in hope. And hope. The communion passage in 1 Corinthians 11 ends with whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, which means he had come back in any time. We might have to cancel the Easter service if Jesus comes back tonight. So that would be pretty exciting for those of us who are living a life of faith and really sad for those people who have rejected the message. Let's look at one more verse, which totally fits. Acts 2 23. God knew what would happen. And his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. Peter shared that sermon. People were cut to the heart, and it says that 3,000 were added to their number that day. 3,000 people got saved after Peter's convicting message explaining what Jesus did, what he endured, and how it was part of God's plan.