Easter Sunday - Renovation Church

Happy Easter! He is Risen! This is the final installment of our Easter series where we take a look at the Power of The Cross.

The 5 truths we explored were as follows:

1. The Cross is the Fulfillment of God's plan

2. You must be willing to suffer humiliation for the Cross

3. Through the Cross there is forgiveness of sins

4. The Cross give us access to God

5. Through the cross we are made clean, white as snow

With these in mind, Pastor Patrosky challenges us with this statement: "If the God we serve is still dead, the words Jesus spoke have no meaning in our lives."

Brick by Brick is the official podcast of Renovation Church, featuring weekly Sunday messages and powerful deep dives into the theology, meaning, and the real-life impact of God's Word. "It's where faith gets built, one truth at a time."

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome to the Brick by Brick Podcast Renovation Church, where faith gets built one truth at a time. In this sermon episode, you'll listen to our most recent Sunday morning message. So whether you're new to faith or have been walking with Jesus for years, there's something here for you. So kick back, hit play, and let's build this thing together.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Full disclosure. On Easter, I'm just a big big crybaby. I am. I'm just a big crybaby. Because Easter really marks the cornerstone of all that we believe. Does it not? This morning I want to make that case, but I I I trust that as a believer you understand that. But I think it's important that, especially on these kind of services where we worship with our full families, I think it's extremely important that we reiterate that even to our kids, we believe that the empty tomb is the cornerstone of all that we believe. That all that a Christian would ever stand for, would ever sacrifice for is summed up in the empty tomb. This morning is a celebration. Amen? It's a celebration of, though we weren't there, it's a celebration of a time where time stood still, especially for those believers who had walked with Jesus, who had believed in Jesus, who had saw him not only turn water into wine, walk on water, heal the sick, and yet they saw him on a cross, and then for three days they held their breath. This is a celebration, because the tomb is empty. Amen. The Bible says that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross and he paid a debt that neither you nor I could ever pay. And this morning we celebrate that the tomb is empty. And I know that for some people, they don't believe that. I know for some people, they think it's weird that believers, right, that people who call themselves Christians would gather, as Pastor Steve said, all around the world today to celebrate this thing that happened 2,000 years ago with this faith to say that no, no, no. We believe and we place our hope and our trust in a God who laid his life down on a cross, and three days later he rose again. Would you turn your Bibles to Luke chapter 27? Or 24. Because on Luke chapter 24, Luke's gospel gives an account of the empty tomb like this. Luke chapter 24, it says, On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took spices that they had prepared, and they went to the tomb. And they found that the stone was rolled away. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And he says, while they were there, they were wondering about this. These were people who had walked with Jesus, who had heard him say that he wasn't gonna be there. And yet they prepared spices and they go to the tomb, and when he was not there, they wondered what happened. Has grief ever made you lose yourself? Has grief ever made you forget the truth, and yet you are you are sitting firmly in the grief that that that that is now overtaking you? I imagine that's what it happened with these women here today. And so they're at the tomb, and it says that when they didn't see the body of the Lord Jesus, they were wondering what happened, and then suddenly two men who their clothes that gleam like lightning stood before them. In verse 5, it says that the women they were frightened, and and in their fright it says that they bowed down with their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, Why are you looking for the living amongst the dead? Why are you looking for the living amongst the dead? He's not here, he has what he has risen. He has risen. Remember, he said, they said, remember how he told you that while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, he would be crucified, but yet on the third day he would rise again. For the last few weeks, we've talked about what that process, as we focused in on the cross, looked like. And we see that how theologically the cross was not this small thing. The cross wasn't a means to an end, but instead, there is power in the cross. And when we as believers understand that the cross, it means so much and it opens so many doors for us as believers, it deepens our Christian journey. The cross, it shows us that Christ laying down his life on the cross was the fulfillment of God's plan. Not only was it the fulfillment of God's plan, but we are a continuation of God's plan through the strength that God gives us, that we are to be salt and light to the world around us. And we know that because of the cross. Number two, um, the cross shows us that we must be willing, if we are to follow Christ, we must be willing to suffer humiliation. Amen. Amen? As Christians, we want to skip straight to the empty tomb, don't we? But he was on the cross. And the Bible says that if we're gonna join him in his resurrection, then we must be willing to join him in his suffering. And so as believers, we have to understand that the cross reminds us, the cross reminds us that it is okay to suffer in this life. Because this world is not my home. This life is not my life. You see, but when I'm more in love with this life, I'll do everything that I can to make this life the greatest life I'm ever gonna live, forgetting the fact that there's a resurrection and one day Christ is coming back for me. Amen? He's coming back for you, and we will join him in his glory. Number three, the cross tells us that that the scripture, right? Scripture tells us that through the cross, Jesus paid the price for sin. Amen. Number four, the the cross tells us, it shows us that when Jesus died on the cross and and and the veil ripped from top to bottom, it shows that that we now have access to Jesus. Every one of you have access to Jesus. You need no man, no woman to grant you access to the Father. Amen. Some of you say, well, what does the veil like how is that, what is that symbolism and what does it mean? There's a picture that I want to put up. It's of the, it's of the it's of no one's home. But I'll joking aside, it's of no one's home. But this is the temple, right? This is the picture of of the temple that the Jewish people would go and worship in, right? It's over time it's built, but I want to I want to draw your attention to one, two, and three. Do you see it over there on the on the upper left? One, two, and three, and three in particular, that's the veil. And what would happen is people would come in and they would worship. No one was allowed behind the veil but the high priest, and the high priest would take the representation of the people's sin and they would make an offering for the people because that's where they believe that the spirit of God was. Number two, the holy of holies. And the Bible says that when Jesus died on the cross, the veil ripped from top to bottom. What does that mean? God's spirit is everywhere, and you now have access. You don't have to go, you don't have to jump through hoops, you don't have to play games. All you have to do, wherever you are, is fully engage with a God that fully wants to engage with you, and through the process of the cross, we were afforded access fully to our Lord and Savior. Amen. To us, see, we may read those scriptures and we don't understand what it means, but for them, if you read that, it says that even the soldier, when this happened, the Roman soldier said, Oh, that was a godly man. The people around them, it says that when this happened, because they fully understood what this meant, it says that it's almost like they came to their senses and they realized the mistake that they had made. But for you and I, we live on this side of the cross and we understand that because of the cross, we now have access into our Lord and Savior. Amen. I am his and he is mine. And lastly, we realize that the scripture tells that us that through faith and the process of the cross, we have been made clean. There is restoration. We have actually been made white as snow. And it's because of these truths that the empty tomb matters so much. It's because of these truths, right? That the empty tomb, it matters so much. Because if the God that we serve, I want you to understand this, and this is the only point that I want to make here this morning. Because you got to get to that Easter dinner. We say supper where I'm from. All the same. But can I tell you this? That if the God that we serve does not have power over sin, does not have power over death, if the God that we serve is still in the tomb, because death overpowered him, if the grave is not empty, then the words that Jesus spoke, they have no meaning in our lives. That's why we celebrate. It's not just hype, it's the cornerstone of what we believe, because if Jesus Christ rose from the dead as he said that he would, then he was truly sent from the Father. And if he was truly sent from the Father, then his death on the cross has meaning for me and for you. Turn your Bibles to Luke chapter 7. Because I want you to really understand that that all across the world, these are not, like this is like you expect the pastor to get up and be like, oh, it's Easter. Like this is not, this is not hype. I really want you to understand the powerful implications. And I feel like it's laid out in this beautiful story, Luke chapter 7, starting in verse 36. This is before Jesus went to the cross. And in Luke chapter 7, starting in verse 36, it says this. It says, When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house. He reclined at the table. And in verse 37, it says, A woman in that town who lived a sinful life. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life. But here's what I want you to do. Because a lot of times when we read scripture like this, we immediately see someone over there and we rarely put ourselves in the place. But let he who is without sin, amen. Are you humble enough to put yourself in this position? Are you humble enough to read the following scriptures with yourself in this picture? It says, A woman in the town who had lived a very sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, and so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. And it says as she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and then she wiped them with her hair. And it says that she kissed him and she poured the perfume on them. And when the Pharisee, who had invited Jesus, saw this, it says that when he saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would know who was touching him and what kind of woman she was. Why? Because she was a sinner. And I think this is important that the Bible notes that she was a sinner. I think it's important because it's important for us to know that she wasn't someone who had it all together. She wasn't someone who you thought would have been at the Pharisees' house. The position that the Pharisees had, right? When the story is told, you don't look at that and think, oh yeah, of course she would have been at the Pharisee's house. No, no, no. She was someone who, without the presence of Jesus, she would have been nowhere near the Pharisee's house. Without the presence of Jesus, would you be in God's house today? Some of us think that we were born in church because you were. And the danger with that is we grow up thinking that we're not her. But can I tell you, church, you are? I am. And I think it's important that we see that Jesus, even sitting next to the Pharisees on an invite, when faced with someone that society would say, no, she has no reason to be here. Sinful woman, yet Jesus does not remove himself from her. She was a sinner and Jesus allowed her access. And in verse 40, it says, Jesus answered him. Simon, I have something to tell you. This is Simon, the owner of the house. This is Simon the Pharisee, not Simon Peter. Okay? Tell me, teacher, he says. And he tells him this story. Two people owed money to a certain money lender. One owed 500 denarii, another owed 50. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, and so he forgave both the debts of both. And then he says, Now which of them will love him more? And in verse 43, it says that Simon replied, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven, you have judged correctly, Jesus said. He then turned to the woman and said to Simon, He turns to the woman, but he's continuing to talk to Simon. He says, Do you see this woman? He says, I came into your house and you didn't give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. He said, You didn't kiss me, but this woman from the entire time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. He says, You did not put oil on my head from the time uh he says they didn't put oil on my head, but she's poured perfume on my feet. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven. Why? As her great love has shown. But whosoever, right? But whoever has been forgiven, little loves little. He looked at Simon and he essentially told him, Simon, you've missed it. You've missed it because you think you're there and she is here. And he says, Simon, you missed it. Because you don't think there's a need. You see, I'm standing in front of, I'm I'm here and I'm in front of you, and yet you don't see the need. And yet, because this woman has fully seen who she is, fully recognizes who I am, she would dare come in here and pour herself out and ask for forgiveness and love on me like she has been loved on in her life. And then Jesus says to her, Your sins are forgiven. He says the other guests began to say amongst themselves, Who is this who even forgives sin? Jesus said, Not with no regard to these people, Jesus says to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Can I just tell you that if the grave is is not empty, then those words, they don't mean anything. They don't mean anything. If the grave is is is not empty, then what Jesus tells this woman that her sins are forgiven, they mean nothing. But furthermore, can I put this in our context, church? Because I want you to understand the picture that's really being laid out for us here in Luke chapter 7. It's actually an example for us. It's an example that we can boldly come to the to the throne room of God where he will not hide himself from me. And I can come to him in my broken state. How many of you believe that you serve a God, that you can come to him in your broken state? Be honest. Do you think you got to get rid of that thing in your life? Do you think that you have to ready yourself to come before the Lord? The Bible says that this was a sinful woman. Understanding who she was, she came to the Lord. He doesn't refuse her presence. And he allows her to love on him. And he's given me that same access. He's given you, church, that same access. If I'm willing to humble myself, know who I am, broken, in need of a savior, he is willing and ready to not only receive me, forgive me of my sins, and restore me, but if the grave is not empty, then that's just false hope. And don't we have enough false hope in this world? I do. I'm all up to here on false hope. If the word did not become flesh and dwell amongst us, if Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, did not submit himself to the death on the cross, if he was not laid in a tomb and three days later, on the first day of the week, early in the morning, if the grave continued to hold him captive, if the sin of humanity was still shackled to his broken body, then how could I cry out, Alba Father? Here I am. Who am I talking to? When I am broken and alone, and only his word comforts me. Who am I talking to? If the grave is not empty. If the grave is still empty. Will I be dead and gone? If the grave is still empty? But church, it is not. And if that is not at the cornerstone of what you believe. Then you don't believe. And I know that's a hard message on Easter, but I want to make sure you understand that what we are celebrating and why it is so important for us as believers who call ourselves Christians. There's so much swirl right now in our culture of like, what is a Christian? A Christian is someone who believes that there is a God who loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son who would live a perfect and sinless life, born of a virgin Mary, died on the cross, and three days later the grave is empty. That is a Christian. That is a believer. That is who we are. That is what we celebrate. That's not a mystery. That's the truth. Everything else is window dressing. And some window dressing is ugly. It just is. So today, know this that who we are, at the cornerstone of what we believe, is that we serve a God who is willing to lay down his life on the cross. That's why the cross is always in the distance, but the empty tomb is in our hearts. Because the empty tomb shows me that I am restored. Turn your Bibles to John chapter 20. Because in John chapter 20, he gives, we see John's account of this morning. In John chapter 20, verse 11, we get this zeroed-in view. It says, now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, it says, she bent over and she looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white. You see the similarities between the story. They were seated at Jesus', uh, where Jesus' body had what? Ben. He says, one at the head and one at the feet. And they asked her, woman, this was not derogatory. They asked her, woman, why are you crying? They have taken my Lord away, she said. And I don't know where they have put him. At this, she turned around and she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize that it was Jesus. He asked her, woman, again, not derogatory, woman, why are you crying? Who is it you're looking for? Thinking that he was the gardener, she said, Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I'll go get him. And I love this. Oh, I love this. And Jesus said to her, He didn't say, Look, it's me. Right? What are you talking about? I thought I told you. No, no, no, no, no. What'd he do? He called her by name. He called her by name. And when he called her by name, it says that she turned and she cried out. Why? Because he said, My sheep, they know my voice. My sheep, they know my voice. He calls her by name. And in verse 17, Jesus said, Don't hold on to me, right? Because she was ecstatic. I'm pretty sure she was hugging. She said, Don't hold on to me, for I have not ascended to my father. Go instead and tell my brothers. He right and tell them that I'm ascending to the Father and your Father and to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with this news, telling them, What? I've seen the Lord. And she told them that he has said all these things to her. You see, when you take in the full breadth of Scripture, you realize that this is the same Mary Magdalene, who in Luke chapter 8, the Bible says that when she first met Jesus, that she was being tormented by seven demons. And Jesus healed her from this. And now here she is being entrusted with spreading the greatest news ever shared. Church, can I leave you with this? That to know God and to posture your life, knowing that the tomb is empty is to know restoration. It's to no restoration. It's to know that, look, it doesn't matter who you are when you first met the Lord, he can restore you. And if the grave is not empty, then this is just false hope. But church, he is alive. Amen. He has risen. Amen. And that's why we celebrate. Because everything, everything that we stand for hinges upon that fact. And praise God. It is a fact. That's why we gather. That's why all across the world we can call ourselves one church. Because we come together under the banner of Christ, under the banner of a risen Savior. And this morning, with that in mind, we're going to take communion here at Renovation Church. We believe in an open communion, which simply means if you believe in Jesus Christ, again, born of a Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for your sins and mine. And he rose three days later. If you believe that and you've accepted that, then we believe that that is what grants you access to the elements. Amen. And so I want to do communion a little bit different than we normally do. This morning, I'd like to pray for us. We're going to invite you down to gather the elements and then have a seat. And then I would like to pray us through receiving the elements together. Amen. Normally, and you will still have time to come to the altar afterwards. You will still have time to live out this personal relationship of Jesus. But I think oftentimes in the church, we are so, so heavy on a personal relationship with Jesus. And it is personal, but the church is a collective. Amen. And Easter is this reset where we come together and say, Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is the one thing that matters the most to all of us. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

Thanks for tuning in to the Brick by Brick Podcast. We're so glad you've joined us on our journey to build faith. One tree.