#99 | Jesus Paid It All | Romans 8:34 | The Great 8

The cross changed history.

But without the resurrection the cross would simply be another tragic execution.

Think about it. Lots of people were crucified.

Only One walked out of the grave.

That's why Paul doesn't stop by saying, "Christ died." He immediately adds, "...but even more, has been raised." The resurrection wasn't an afterthought. It wasn't an exciting ending to the story. It was God's declaration that everything Jesus claimed, everything He promised, and everything He accomplished on the cross was absolutely true. 

The empty tomb is heaven's receipt that the payment cleared. Sin has been defeated. Death has been conquered. The curse has been broken. A dead Savior can't save anybody—but our Savior isn't dead. He is alive, reigning, and victorious forever.

In this episode, we unpack three powerful truths about the resurrection:

1. The Debt Was Paid — Jesus didn't say, "It's almost finished." He declared, "It is finished." Every sin, every failure, and every debt was completely paid at the cross.

2. The Tomb Is Empty — The resurrection is heaven's confirmation that Christ's sacrifice was accepted. The empty tomb answers every question about whether the cross was enough.

3. Your Hope Is Alive — Christianity isn't built on advice. It's built on an event. Our hope isn't buried. Our hope has a name—Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, because Jesus walked out of the grave, His victory became our victory. The resurrection isn't simply proof that Jesus lives today. It's the promise that everyone who belongs to Him will live forever.

Final Application:

• Where have you been living like the tomb is still occupied?
• Where have you been acting as though death, fear, or failure still has the final word?
• Lift your eyes to the empty tomb.
• Because Jesus lives... your hope never dies.

The resurrection didn't just change one Sunday morning.

It changed your forever.

Book Derek Griffon to Speak at your next event 

https://www.derekgriffon.com/invite

Transcript

Welcome \\ Daily Rebel Mission

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This podcast is for the ones who know they will rescue, but also know they will resent. Saved by grace, sent to live differently. We're not rebelling against God, we're rebelling against everything that keeps us from. Every day we don't swing our opinions, we sharpen our lives on the word of God, the sword of the Spirit guiding us, cutting through lives, and leading us one step at a time. We'll talk faith, identity, purpose, leadership, and what it really looks like to follow Jesus in a distracted world. Welcome to the Daily Rebel. Yo, what's up, Daily Rebels? Here we go. On day four of the Daily Rebel, and we're in Romans chapter 8, verse 34. Once again, as we kind of ring this text out. Here we go.

Romans 8:34

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Romans 8 34. Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more has been raised. Listen, y'all, the cross changed history. There's no doubt about it.

Why The Resurrection Changes Everything

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But without the resurrection, the cross would simply be another tragic execution. Think about it, lots of people were crucified. Thousands upon thousands of Jews were actually crucified whenever they were threatening Rome. But only one walked out of the grave. Paul says something fascinating. He doesn't stop at Christ died. He says, but even more has been raised. Why? Because the resurrection wasn't just proof he's alive. It was proof that everything he said, everything he promised, and everything he accomplished is true. And so the resurrection, it

The Confirmation, not the Comeback

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wasn't the comeback, it was actually the confirmation of who he was. I believe it was N.T. Wright who once said that, man, if you can prove the resurrection to anybody, anybody can be saved. Because notice Paul's order Christ died, Christ raised, Christ reigns, Christ intercedes. Each truth builds on the one before it. Without the resurrection, everything else falls apart.

A Dead Savior Can't Save Anybody

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A dead savior can't save anybody. That's why Joseph Smith's dead, Buddha's dead, you know, uh, but Muhammad is dead. All the other religions, as we've talked about, probably, I think it was last week, they're dead. A dead savior can't say anybody. A dead God won't do anything, but good thing our God is not dead, right? He's surely alive. Here we go. Paul says, but even more, he has been raised. Why does Paul say even more? Not because the resurrection is greater than the cross, because the resurrection proves the cross accomplished exactly what Jesus said it would. The empty tomb is heaven's declaration that payment was accepted. We've been talking about it all week. Sin has been defeated, death has been conquered, the curse has been broken. The resurrection is God's declaration that Jesus' work is finished. So here's the deal. Point

Point 1: The Debt Was Paid

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one, here we go. Number one, the debt was paid. The cross, again, the cross was enough. I want to reiterate that again. Jesus cried, it is finished. Not almost finished, not man, I really hope this works out. I hope somehow I come back alive. No, no. He knew he was going to come back alive. It was finished. Every sin, every failure, every debt paid for on the cross. Not a hope, not wishful thinking, not fortune cookie Christianity. No, no, no. Paid in full on the cross. The debt was paid. Number two. So listen, before I even get to number two, I want to remind you, remind you of this. Stop trying to earn what Jesus already purchased.

Point 2: The Tomb Is Empty

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Number two, the tomb is empty. Victory was declared, y'all. Imagine if the stone had never moved. We'd still wonder, did it work? Was death defeated? Was sin forgiven? Paul says, nah, the empty tune answered every question. The empty tomb answered every single question. The empty tomb is heaven's receipt stamped. Once again, say it again, paid in full. Sin lost, death loss, hell loss, Satan loss, and Jesus won. Where have you been living like the tomb is still occupied? Which leaves me

Point 3: Your Hope Is Alive

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to number three. Your hope is alive. Because Jesus lives. Christianity isn't built on advice, it's

Christianity is Not Built On Advice, It's Built On An Event

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built on this event, the resurrection. Our hope isn't a philosophy. Our hope has scars. Our hope has a name. Jesus. Your hope isn't buried, y'all. It is breathing. Because Jesus walked out of the grave. And one day you will too. The resurrection isn't just Christ's victory. It's the promise of ours. The resurrection changed more than one Sunday morning. It actually changed you forever. The cross paid your debt. The resurrection proved the payment. And because Jesus lives, your hope

Because Jesus Lives, You Will Too

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will never die. Because listen, rebels, redeemed rebels, our Savior isn't just remembered as some historic philosopher. He's not just remembered as a good prophet. Your Savior isn't just remembered. He is reigning and he is ruling. And he's coming back for his people. He's going to come back and in the second coming, guys, he's going to bring us back. He's going to make us new. We're going to get to experience a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem, and that's our home. And my prayer is that we would every day be confident in the fact that that tomb is indeed empty. For many people that have actually been there, they know that it is indeed empty. He's not there. No, the disciples did not beat up a bunch of highly trained Roman soldiers to steal the body. No fisherman, tax collector, or zealots would have been able to do that. The Roman, man, if you've ever seen the movie 300, that's exactly what I'm sure a Spartan looked like. Ain't nobody taking them cast down. But also, it was also said that, hey, the disciples maybe took them. Maybe they're hanging them up somewhere. But here's the deal. I may have said this before. All the disciples would eventually be horrifically murdered. I don't know about y'all, but I've never heard of anybody actually dying for a lie. The moment if I was there, the moment if I knew Jesus' body was up in my closet somewhere, and I had to testify and be like, yo, he's alive just to start a revolution. But the moment that sword came to me to chop my head off, the moment that I was about to be sawn into a crucified, I would have like, no, no, no. He's in my, let me, I'll show you where he's at. We did take him. It didn't happen that way. They all would be go on to be brutally murdered because they saw dead men raised. You know why? Because their hope was hope was alive and they could breathe and they were free. So listen, again, our

Our Savior Isn't Just Remembered, He's Reigning

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savior isn't just remembered, our savior is reigning. Amen. Thank you for

Outro

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listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help other people be equipped to be redeemed rebels, give us a follow and share it around with your friends. We'll see you next time.