WEBVTT 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:06.959 Welcome to the MetaCurch Podcast. 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:08.080 My name's Clayton. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.240 I'm the pastor here at MetaCurch. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:17.920 And my hope is that today's podcast finds you at the perfect time in your life that God uses it to inspire and enlighten you. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.559 I hope that you enjoy today's message. 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:26.640 If you're new with us, my name's Clayton. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:39.520 I'm the lead pastor here at MetaCurch, and we are in our Easter series we've called Master Plan, where we're trying to get the bigger picture of Easter, seeing how this wasn't just an isolated incident. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:47.200 This was the plan for the rescue and redemption of humanity that had been in place all the way from the beginning. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:49.679 We're picking up on Easter Sunday. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:01:02.479 Jesus had been buried for three days, and a few of the female followers of Jesus, they went to the tomb, and when they got there, they found that the stone was rolled away, and there was an angelic being there in Matthew 28. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:09.120 It says the angel told the women, Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:14.400 And here's the good news of Easter: He is not here, for he has risen. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:15.200 Amen. 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:16.319 Amen. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:32.400 He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said, all throughout this series, what we have seen is that when you isolate out these individual moments of the Easter narrative, some of them can be confusing, some of them can lead to more questions than answers. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:43.359 But when you see the big picture and the full plan that was in effect, you learn that the Easter story is not the moment that Jesus' ministry got out of control. 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:49.280 It's not the story of a helpless victim, a Nazarene carpenter crucified against his will. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:54.079 What you find is Jesus was calling his shot all along the way. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:58.879 And he gives us another hint of that right here when he says, just as he said. 00:01:58.959 --> 00:01:59.760 That's my message today. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.200 I'm pulling it right out of the text. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:04.239 My message is just as he said. 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:05.760 Would you pray with me? 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:07.680 Jesus, we're here for you. 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:23.599 We are here because we believe that a little less than 2,000 years ago, you literally bodily rose from the dead, and by doing that, you defeated death itself, and you gave us hope for today and for eternity. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:30.159 And I thank you for a place like MetaCurch, where I know many in this room, many streaming with us online, believe that and hold to that. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:42.159 And God, our hope, as always, is that there are many who can find a home here who aren't sure what they believe yet, who are seekers or skeptics and have a safe place to come and wrestle with the biggest questions of life and faith and spirituality. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:43.919 And we are here seeking you. 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.759 And so, God, I pray we would humble ourselves and Holy Spirit that you would speak to our hearts. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:49.599 And we pray all of this in Jesus' name. 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:53.680 And if you're ready to learn more about just as he said, say amen. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:54.639 Amen. 00:02:54.960 --> 00:03:02.560 I think to understand resurrection morning, we have to really try and understand what the followers of Jesus were feeling. 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:08.800 And that can be difficult for us to do because we have almost 2,000 years of retrospect. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:10.800 We look back and we know what's coming. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:12.400 We know the stone rolls away. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.240 We know that Jesus walks out of the grave. 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.240 We know he spends about 40 days on earth. 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:22.319 We know that he's seen by hundreds of people who meet with him and eat with him, and he gives instructions to them. 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:26.000 He ascends back to heaven and promises that one day he will return. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:38.319 We know that the early followers of Jesus were so convinced of his bodily real resurrection that they dedicated their lives to following after him, even when it cost them their lives. 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:49.759 It's so ingrained in us that resurrection is coming that it can be difficult for us to put ourselves in the footsteps of his followers that weekend after he had died. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:54.719 Crucifixion was perhaps the most horrendous form of execution ever invented. 00:03:54.800 --> 00:04:01.919 And Rome was taking over the world, including Israel at the time, and they would not crucify people, you know, outside of the city limits. 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:04.800 They would do it right in the middle of town. 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:09.840 They were sending a message that anyone who came up against the empire would be taught a lesson. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:20.560 Everyone knew what crucifixion was, and many of the followers of Jesus saw him, they saw him beaten to within an inch of his life, they saw him on the cross, they were overwhelmed by grief. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.759 No one was expecting resurrection. 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:26.800 The women didn't go to the tomb that day like, Mary, you ready? 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:27.360 Yeah, you ready? 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:27.759 You ready? 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:28.240 Here we go. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:28.879 Here we go. 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:35.680 Ten, nine, eight, like they were not expecting Jesus to come out of the grave. 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:39.279 As a matter of fact, it was the most shocking thing that could have possibly happened. 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:41.839 The followers of Jesus had gone all in. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.399 All of their hope was in him, their future hung on him. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:53.759 They believed he was the Messiah that would bring significance not only to their lives as individuals, but to the kingdom of Israel, bring it back into a place of prominence. 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:56.639 When Jesus died, hope died. 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.240 And they believed that it was dead forever. 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:06.079 But Jesus, as we have seen over the last two weeks, the cross was not a detour. 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:09.199 The cross was always the destination. 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:18.319 He dotted every I and he crossed every T, he walked every step and orchestrated the master plan to ensure that he would end up on the cross. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:21.279 And if you don't know this, I need you to know this. 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:26.560 He made sure that he died on the cross because of his great love for you. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:30.800 The cross was not a detour, the cross was always the destination. 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:37.920 And what the angel says to the women at the tomb, it's so key because it is Jesus once again calling his own shot. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:42.959 He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:52.560 In other words, you guys possibly shouldn't be so surprised because he was letting you in on what was coming all along the way. 00:05:52.639 --> 00:06:01.759 And as a matter of fact, in the four historical accounts of Jesus' life that we call the gospels, we have several moments where Jesus is doing this very thing. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:08.399 Like if we look at John chapter 2, it says, So the Jews replied to Jesus, What sign will you show us for doing these things? 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:13.439 And Jesus answered, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days. 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:20.319 And the Jews said, This temple took forty-six years to build, and you will raise it up in just three days. 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:24.240 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:26.959 He has risen just as he said. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.639 Now, we can cut the disciples some slack on that, right? 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:32.560 That's a pretty thick allegory. 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:35.519 Like, his body is the temple, and then the temple gets destroyed. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:42.240 And if you read the gospels, you'll notice right away, the disciples only catch about 40 to 50 percent of what Jesus says anyway. 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:48.879 Like a lot of times they are pretty lost, and they don't really connect all those dots until they see him alive, resurrected again. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.800 And the further Jesus goes into his ministry, the more direct he gets. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:07:02.000 Like in Matthew 12, he answered them an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:03.439 You guys remember Jonah? 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:06.560 Jonah and the big fish, and then he's in there and then gets burped out on land. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:07.199 Y'all remember that? 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:16.720 For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man, that's Jesus, will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.120 So a little more on the nose, right? 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:26.160 Three days, three nights, and then he comes back on the land, three days, three nights, and then he's gonna come back to life, but still quite cryptic. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:30.879 You can't really blame these guys for not anticipating the resurrection three days later. 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:40.879 However, once Jesus sets his eyes towards Jerusalem and is very, very close to the crucifixion, he starts speaking to his closest followers very directly. 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:42.720 We see this in Matthew 16. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:49.040 From then on, Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:50.560 And what will happen in Jerusalem? 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:54.800 He will suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:08:00.800 In Jerusalem, he will be killed, and in Jerusalem, he will be raised on the third day. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:07.680 And even when Jesus specifically told them what was coming, they could not put two and two together. 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:13.279 And it's easy for us to throw shade at the disciples, because we're living 2,000 years post-resurrection. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:19.040 We know the story that's coming, but they were so overwhelmed by grief and they were so shocked by what happened. 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:21.600 And the death of Jesus was not the plan to them. 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:23.040 This wasn't some master plan. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:28.399 They thought this was the end of the plan, and they had no idea where to sink their hope. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:43.840 A couple of months ago, I started talking to the staff about what I was gonna preach on Easter and the specific angle that I wanted to take, and looking at how the angel says, just as he said, he was pointing this out the entire time, and the staff started helping me create some of the creative elements for today. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:55.919 Couple days after I shared that, Celeste, our worship leader, she sent me a reel on Instagram that I think perfectly sums up what the disciples were feeling when Jesus kept sharing these cryptic messages. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:57.200 Let's take a look. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.840 The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:07.120 What? 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:09.360 Okay. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:20.559 Uh just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, uh, so the son of man will be in the heart of the earth for three days. 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:23.759 Oh fish. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:25.200 I like to fish. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:26.720 I'm going to die. 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:27.200 Alright? 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:29.039 I'm going to literally die. 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.840 And in three days, I'm going to come back to life. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:32.879 Do you hear what I'm saying? 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.639 I'm going to literally die. 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:35.440 Oh. 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:37.679 I totally get it now. 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.120 I I totally get it. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:41.360 You have no idea what I'm talking about, dude. 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:42.480 I literally have no idea. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:44.639 Okay, let's just circle back to the fish part. 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:50.639 So basically, three months of research and study, and I could have just got on Instagram. 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:52.080 That's that's wonderful. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:57.519 This idea for the disciples that Jesus was gonna go from the height of fame. 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:59.519 Remember the beginning of the week? 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:04.399 Jesus rides in to the praise and adulation, they call it the triumphal entry. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:11.759 Hosanna, blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord, and they take off their jackets and lay them down for the donkey to walk across. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:13.440 This is how much honor they have for him. 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:20.799 The idea that he'd fall from the height of fame to being crucified on a Roman cross was a mental bridge they just simply could not cross. 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:27.600 And then once he was dead, the idea that he could come back to life, it was just an impossibility to them. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:36.159 There is no concept in the Jewish world for the resurrection of one single person bodily brung back to life. 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:39.440 It just is not a part of their thoughts. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:47.519 And yet, the women went to the tomb and the tomb was empty, and the angel was there. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:53.679 And the best news, the news that we hang our faith on, he is not here, he is risen. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.360 And they went and found Jesus. 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:00.960 And the disciples, they were told and they met with Jesus. 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:05.120 And you know, if you are a skeptic, this is the perfect place for you to be. 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:16.399 Kind of a sidebar, but I'd recommend we did a series last year called Know God, where we laid out real reasons that you can have confidence in the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:22.879 Paul quotes a creed that can be traced back historically to just a couple years after the resurrection took place. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:36.879 And already this creed had been formed by early followers that said that not only had Jesus been raised back to life, but he was seen by the apostles and he was seen by the female followers, and he was seen by over 500 people. 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:44.639 And when Paul wrote that in the first century, he says, and most of those 500 people are living to this day. 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:47.120 Paul's saying, fact-check me, bro. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:52.159 There are people who walked with this guy and talked with this guy and sat down and broke bread with this guy. 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:57.039 We really believe he came back to life, as a matter of fact, we will put our lives on it. 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:01.440 And many of the earliest followers of Jesus did that very thing. 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:09.279 And people will die for what they believe in, but very few people will die for a lie, especially one that they contrived themselves. 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:17.279 And so the Christian history is of a belief in a bodily risen Savior. 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:32.559 In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul said, For I passed on to you, this is that early creed, as most important what I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:40.159 And he says later in that chapter, now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:45.519 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised, and this is where he lands. 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:51.039 And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain. 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:53.519 And so is your faith. 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:59.039 He ends with this if-then scenario. 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:07.120 If Christ has not been raised, if he is still dead, if he is still in the tomb, then our faith is in vain. 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:16.559 And the movement of Jesus that started because of the resurrection, what we call the church, that is in vain, and your sacrifice is in vain, and your worship is in vain. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:22.320 If Jesus didn't actually resurrect, then all of it is for nothing. 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:27.840 And through the centuries, many people have put their faith. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:32.960 That one time God actually left heaven and came to earth. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:38.480 He was incarnate, which he put on a body and he lived an actual perfect life. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:42.799 And when the time came, he died on a cross, not because he deserved it. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:46.799 In fact, he was the only actual innocent human to ever walk the earth. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:51.440 He died the death that you and I deserve because of our sin against God. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:57.440 And by giving his life, he exchanged it for ours if we simply believe in him. 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.600 Here's the question that I want us to wrestle with this Easter. 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:05.039 Is my faith in an empty tomb? 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.480 Is my faith in an empty tomb? 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:19.759 Now, if you're a believer, then there is probably welling up within you an affirmation that is like, amen, hallelujah, sign, sealed, delivered, let's call it good. 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:21.200 My faith in an empty tomb. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.799 I can hit lunch early, but just pause for a second. 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:30.000 Because I didn't ask, is my faith in the empty tomb? 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:41.120 You see, I grew up in church and I grew up around Christians, and especially around Easter time, we would put bumper stickers on our cars and signs in our yard and signs on our screens that say, My faith is in an empty tomb. 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:42.799 And we had really good meaning behind that. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:49.039 And I know what it actually means, which is my faith is in the fact that Jesus rose again and therefore the tomb is empty. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:50.080 That's what you actually meant. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:54.320 But I wondered, what would it mean if we took that literally? 00:14:54.799 --> 00:15:02.080 And so go with me for just a moment so I can make a point in about 10 minutes on a crazy hypothetical situation. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:08.799 Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and an angel is waiting and says, He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said. 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:13.519 And Mary goes, Great, well, I'll come back tomorrow. 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:17.519 I'll just circle back and I'll keep coming back to the tomb. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:27.519 Imagine how crazy it would be if the earliest followers of Jesus actually began to worship the tomb itself. 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:35.039 They showed up every day, they sang songs to the tomb, they gave their time, energy, and attention, they sacrificed, they gave their money to the tomb. 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:37.840 Imagine if they were so hyped about the tomb. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:40.879 Every morning they would see other believers, like, hey, we go into the tomb. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:43.039 I invited some friends, everybody come to the tomb. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.919 We're gonna sing songs in the tomb, we're gonna worship the tomb. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:50.159 And Jesus is right down the street, like, yo, I'm not in there anymore. 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.600 I came back to life. 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:53.039 I've got some stuff to tell you. 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:58.960 I'm about to go to heaven, I've got some assignments to hand out, and they were like too busy, they were just addicted to the tomb. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:00.879 They couldn't get enough. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:03.519 That would be crazy, right? 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:07.279 Oh, I'm I'm sorry, I have metachurch, you can talk back to me. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:08.960 That would be crazy, right? 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:34.000 We built metachurch to be a place for all people and all different parts of their faith journey, and I'm sure in a room this size, and with others streaming online, there are some who are not convinced that a God who exists outside of space and time came down to our world in the person of Jesus, died, and actually overcame death. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.080 It requires a lot of faith to build your life on that premise. 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:46.720 But I will tell you, believer or not, everyone will put their faith in something. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:51.039 This is actually psychologically a fact. 00:16:51.360 --> 00:17:08.079 You have to have faith in something or some things, or you can't get out of bed in the morning, you can't put one foot in front of the other, you can't go work your job, you can't parent your children, you will put your faith in something that's just a part of being human. 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:21.680 And what we're wrestling with today is whether or not your faith is in an empty tomb, and I believe the world offers us almost endless empty tombs to put our faith in. 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:31.920 If you don't have faith in something that is transcendent, that is bigger than big, that is eternal and unchanging, then most likely at some level, your faith is in you. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:46.000 Your faith is in yourself and what you can see and what you can perceive and how you can make it in life, and your skill sets and your abilities and your connections and your earning power and your history and your past and your ability to get it done. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:56.720 And many people are living and are encouraged constantly by our culture to live as their own gods and to build their own kingdom and to try to make your own heaven on earth. 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:02.640 And the problem is that you are not God, and the harder you try to make your own heaven, the more you will end up living in hell on earth. 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:07.599 We all have to put our faith in something, and some of us we put our faith in power. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:13.599 All of our hope is in power, and for some of us, it's the power of the purse or the power of your wallet. 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:23.759 All of your hope is tied up into how much money you have in the bank or how much you can earn or what status you have in life or how much influence you have or what position you've gained. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:26.799 All of your peace is determined by your investments. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:30.400 And when your investments are doing well, you feel like you have peace in your life. 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:33.359 And when the market is down, your depression is up. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:36.960 Some of us are looking to power outside of ourselves. 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:48.400 It's interesting, the more unreligious we become as a society, the more politically active we seem to become, and the more politically divided we become. 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:53.519 And try as you may, you cannot get rid of the religious impulse that exists inside of us. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:19:10.400 We all will put our faith in something, and more and more people are turning to politics and politicians specifically, and all of their faith and their future and their hope and their peace and whether or not they can sleep at night is tied up based on who is or who is not in certain offices. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:18.400 And when you actually say it out loud that we're putting our faith in the most corrupt, self-interested people in the entire world. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:21.920 It sounds crazy, but more and more we are doing it. 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:50.480 Some of us we put our faith in our intelligence, in the degrees that we have, and the positions that we've gotten out in the marketplace, or maybe you actually don't have the degrees, and that stokes your ego because even without them, you have outperformed and out-earned many of the other people that you know, and so you're gonna build your own future and pick yourself up by your bootstraps, and you don't need some cosmic man out in the sky to help you along the way because you've got it just fine, and you're gonna make something out of your life, and so now you have the pressure of being your own God. 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:54.799 And for so many people, we put our faith in our relationships. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:17.200 For many single people, they scale their value and their status by how many sexual exploits they can have along the way, how many women you can get into your bed, or how many men you can give yourself away to, and you're looking for value and you're looking for worth and dignity, even though it seems the more encounters you have, the less value and worth you seem to hold yourself with. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:30.480 We put our faith in our romantic partners and our husbands and our wives, putting the pressure of our hope and our future squarely on their shoulders, knowing at the deepest level they can't actually live under that weight. 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:37.440 And as the relationship begins to fracture under the pressure of all of your faith being in them, them being your God. 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:41.119 And we wonder why we live such lonely lives. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:43.920 Some of us are putting all of our faith in our kids. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:46.640 And we've seen this, and it just grows and grows. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:52.640 I used to call it baseball dad syndrome, but now we got moms who have baseball dad syndrome, and now it's not just about baseball. 00:20:52.720 --> 00:21:03.039 And you know this isn't actually true, but your kids are convinced that your love for them is in direct proportion to their at-bat percentage, to how many strikeouts they had in the last game. 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:09.519 It's not just baseball, how many A pluses they brought home on their report cards, even how well behaved they are. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:23.039 We have conditions for our love because we didn't do it all that well the first time around, and so now we're living vicariously through our kids, and we're treating our kids like they're our God, and our kids will crumble under the pressure. 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:39.680 And when life just gets too hard and we keep hitting rock bottom, then we turn to our addictions and we try to find our faith in the bottom of a bottle, and we try to find our peace in the next hit, and we try to find our hope in the next high, but it only leaves us more drained and more depressed and more searching and confused. 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:46.480 And some of you, it's all vanity, and you look at every single square inch of your body, and you're looking for your faith in your appearance. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.160 And I know what y'all are thinking right now. 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:50.240 Pastor Clayton moves the big weights. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.640 I know this came right out of my garage, right? 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:59.440 Some of you are so obsessed with your physical appearance, and if anything is off, or it's 0.1%. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.359 Off on the scale, your whole day falls apart because your faith is in yourself. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:12.319 And here's where it gets crazy because some of us we put our faith not in Jesus and the movement that he started, but in religion itself. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:22.079 And there are churches full of people who know every word of the book from Genesis all the way back to the maps. 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:30.000 And yet, if you come in dressed the wrong way, you have offended their God and they will break you down from top to bottom. 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:43.839 And if you think differently or vote differently, or you don't know the words, or you don't show up on time, they will approach you with hate in their heart on a movement that was built on love and religion that is void of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.359 It's nothing but another empty tomb. 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:56.319 And so we're all in agreement. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:09.839 If Mary and the disciples spent the next 10 years of their life bowing at the tomb, praising the tomb, worshiping the tomb, Jesus would be like, You're looking at rocks. 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:14.720 He walked out and we keep looking at empty tombs. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:35.039 And you need to know this every time we put our faith in something other than Jesus, every time we try to build our life on a foundation that is made from the things of this world, every time our hope is contingent on ourselves or our relationships, our addictions, or anything the culture offers us, we are putting our faith in empty tombs. 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:48.480 The living Savior is there, waiting, arms stretched open, and instead we are focused in and narrowed in, blinded to what he offers us because all of our hope is founded in the things of this world. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:54.240 And this is what you need to know the things of this world will always let you down. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:24:00.160 And you live long enough as your own God and your own king, and you will find out just how terrible of a God you make. 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:07.039 And you try to make your wife, your hope, your faith, your future, your everything that they didn't sign up for. 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:16.480 It was you two together till death do you part, you two coming together to point each other towards God, not you two coming together to be each other's God. 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.240 Every relationship you put that pressure on will crumble under the weight. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:26.319 You will be constantly disappointed because you've set an expectation on them that no one can actually hold. 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:32.559 When your addictions take over, you are looking for hope in the bottom of a bottle, and it is simply an empty tomb. 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:48.559 And you need to know this when the empty tombs of this world that you are banking on for your peace and hope and value and future and salvation, when they inevitably leave you more depressed, more empty, more used up, more angry, more confused, more divided. 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.079 Do you know what that is? 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:53.039 That's an empty tomb. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:58.160 Screaming out what empty tombs always scream out. 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:02.079 Jesus is not here, Jesus is risen. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:28.240 And so when you get to the bottom of the bottle or the high wears off, or that sexual encounter is over, when you get to the point where you've finished whatever you have your addiction in, when you get to the point where there's irreconcilable differences in your marriage, when you get to the point that your kids grow up and they are bitter and jaded because they believe their whole life that your love for them was contingent on their performance. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:32.480 When you get to the end of yourself, all of those things are screaming out. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:33.759 He's not here, bro. 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:35.599 That's what your addiction is telling you. 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:40.000 When you're lonelier and even more broken on the other side of it, he's not here. 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:41.599 I can't give you what you need. 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:42.880 Jesus is risen. 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.759 You are looking for your life in an empty tomb. 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:52.640 And I promise you, I am not the guy who has gotten this right my whole life, preaching at all you screwed up guys who've got it wrong. 00:25:52.799 --> 00:26:00.880 I've been so freaking deep in the empty tomb in my life that I didn't see any light, I didn't see any hope, I didn't see any future. 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:03.359 And here's what I learned that changed my life. 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:11.039 The moment that I was ready to turn and come back to Jesus, he was right on the other side of that tomb with his arms stretched wide. 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:20.880 And so next Sunday, what we're gonna do is baptize anyone who's put their faith in Jesus. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:23.920 And when we baptize, we always say the same thing. 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:26.160 Baptism is symbolic. 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:28.720 And so this is what it symbolizes. 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:34.319 We we put you in the water, and as you're going down, we say, buried with Christ. 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:40.079 That shows the change that has taken place. 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:51.119 That the same way Jesus literally went into the tomb, that you are now taking your old life and all of the foundations that it was built on. 00:26:51.359 --> 00:27:00.880 Everything that you have put your faith in that has let you down, everything that you have put your hope in that has let you down, all of the things you've been trying to find peace in that have let you down. 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:10.000 When you go in and believe in Jesus, it's symbolic that you are putting it in the tomb, turning your back and leaving it in the tomb. 00:27:13.680 --> 00:27:20.640 And this is very good news because when we baptize you, buried with Christ, we pull you back up. 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:22.079 That's good news, right? 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:26.799 And it really does matter. 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:33.599 Because if your only call was to believe in Jesus and go to heaven, I mean I'm pretty strong. 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:35.200 I can get you there quick. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:47.359 But the call is to believe in him, get eternal life, and then walk out your life and the power of that, following Jesus. 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:49.599 So we pull you up and we say, raise. 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:53.599 To walk a new life. 00:27:55.759 --> 00:28:04.400 The gospel is this it's like you're in a court of law and you've been found guilty, and you were caught red-handed, and there are no appeals, you're done. 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:07.359 And the punishment is death. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:12.880 There's nothing you can do to earn your way out of it, there's no amount of good behavior. 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:28.559 And in the ultimate plot twist, the judge rises from his elevated platform and begins to descend down to the courtroom floor, and as he goes, he removes his robes of honor. 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:36.240 Comes and stands by your side and agrees to take your punishment for you. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:41.519 Jesus, the righteous judge of heaven, looked down at a world that is condemned. 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:48.319 God is perfect, and in his perfection, he cannot dwell eternally with sin or sinners. 00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:55.359 Something must be done to cover all of the sin, all the ways that we've gone astray of God's desire and design for our life. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:29:04.000 And Jesus came and stepped out of his glory in heaven and down into the midst of our brokenness. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:13.519 He lived in poverty, he was tested and tried, tempted in every single way that you and I will be throughout our life, and yet was without sin. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:24.240 He was the only innocent human, he was the only perfect human, which made him the only available sacrifice to once and for all pay the price of all of our sins. 00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:32.480 The wages of our sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. 00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:36.319 What are you putting your hope in? 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:41.200 If it isn't Jesus, I want to suggest it's an empty tomb. 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:53.839 And to live your life putting your faith in an empty tomb, we all agreed, would be quite crazy when Jesus is on the other side, ready for anyone who will simply believe in him. 00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:58.960 As we close out, I want to invite you to close your eyes right where you are, to bow your head. 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:01.920 If you're new to church, there's nothing magic about closing your eyes. 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:06.640 It just limits distraction, it creates some space for you and for the people around you. 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:12.319 And I want to give you a moment to assess what you are currently putting your faith in. 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:15.440 Is your faith in your own abilities? 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:18.559 Is your peace found in your finances? 00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:25.119 Is all of your hope and all of your future riding on the shoulders of those you are in relationship with? 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:29.039 Is your faith in an empty tomb? 00:30:29.519 --> 00:30:33.839 Or is your faith in the Savior who walked out of one? 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:38.160 For believers in the room, you have eternal life. 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:42.160 You can be assured and secure of that till the day you die. 00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:47.039 The question is, are you walking out in the power of what you've been given? 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:49.279 Are you following Jesus? 00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:51.759 Are you keeping your faith focused on him? 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:55.839 Or have you been distracted by the empty tombs of the world? 00:30:56.640 --> 00:31:04.319 For those who have never believed in Jesus, there's never been a moment in your life where you've put your faith in who he is and what he has done. 00:31:04.640 --> 00:31:16.960 Today can be the day that you walk out of that empty tomb, that you're given new life, eternal security, put on the path to your purpose, and the significant, impactful life you are created to live. 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:24.559 The call to believe in Jesus is not a call to a boring, shallow religious existence. 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:40.240 It is the call to join Jesus in the adventure of a lifetime, a life of sacrifice, giving your life away to make an impact on the people and the world around you. 00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:56.720 If you're here today or watching online and you are ready to put your faith in Jesus, to go from spiritual death to spiritual life, to go from someone who is distant from their heavenly father to adopted by their heavenly father at the cost of the blood of Jesus. 00:31:57.519 --> 00:32:00.880 Today I want to help you acknowledge that faith through a simple prayer. 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:04.960 You can repeat it after me word for word, or you can make it your own. 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:10.079 You can say it out loud, or you can pray it in your mind where God can certainly still hear it. 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:14.160 But if you are ready, I want to invite you to pray something like this. 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:28.799 Jesus, today I choose to put my faith in you, to no longer trust in empty tombs. 00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:31.920 I believe you are God. 00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:36.160 I believe you came to earth. 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:42.480 I believe you died for my sins, and that you rose again. 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:46.319 And I thank you for a new life. 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:50.160 Let me pray for you. 00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:52.319 Jesus, we love you. 00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:55.680 We're here because of you, because of what you've done for us. 00:32:55.920 --> 00:33:04.559 Two thousand years later, on the other side of the world, still gathering, because we actually believe that you walked out of the grave. 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:06.799 I pray we would keep our eyes on you. 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:15.599 We would no longer live with our faith in empty tombs that will do nothing but let us down, that will do nothing but scream out, He is not here. 00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:18.880 Because Jesus, you are risen. 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:30.000 I thank you for anyone who's put their faith in you, who has moved to new spiritual life, who now has the promise of eternity in front of them and the opportunity to follow you into the adventure of a lifetime. 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:31.680 And I pray they would do just that. 00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:34.720 We love you and we worship you, Jesus, in your name. 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:35.680 Amen. 00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:44.000 Thanks so much for listening to the message today. 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:52.559 If this was helpful to you and you want to help us get the word out, you can subscribe to this podcast, you can rate and review or share it with your friends. 00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:59.440 If you want to get connected further with what MetaCurch is doing, you can go online to metachurch.tv. 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:01.920 There you can learn how to take next steps. 00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:09.840 You can learn where our different venues are at if you ever wanted to visit, and you can also give financially to help push this movement forward. 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:13.519 And I love you guys, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.