Bethel Church Service | Bill Johnson Sermon | Worship with David Funk, Emmy Rose

Hi. >> Hello. Hello. Happy Easter. >> Happy Easter. Happy resurrection Sunday. >> I am resurrected. >> Back from the dead back. I'm back. I didn't die. >> He did not. He did not die. >> But I've been gone for a while. >> Yeah. You've been good to be back. >> We're so happy to have you here. >> A brand new baby.

Well, not brand new anymore. Technically, she's almost seven weeks. So, >> so excited to see you guys. >> Why don't you tell the world a little bit about baby girl, maybe a name? Lucy Elizabeth Moore is her name. Elizabeth's after Ruth's mom's name. So, keeping in the family.

Yeah, >> she's really cute. And I have never had a big baby >> and she is big and so it's an answer to prayer. >> She's very sweet and uh it's great. Oh, >> can we can we do a Lion King moment, you guys? >> Lion King moment. >> We are live.

This is truly live. Why don't you guys come? Yeah, Ruth, come. You guys, do you remember Ruth Moore, your lead pastor? Wait. Oh, yeah. She's sleeping right now. Ruth, why don't you say hi? >> Hi, everybody. Happy Easter. So good to see you. We've been away having a baby. >> Having a baby.

Lucy is absolutely perfect. >> I know. It's lovely to see you all. Miss you guys. >> Oh, do you want to put her up and kind of dedicate her? No. Like Lion King? No. No. Here, I'll take the I'll take the This is real life, you guys. This is the Moore's um newest arrival.

We're so so so thankful that she's here. Um, but also really glad to have Steve back and Ruth deep in mama land just enjoying all of >> everything that comes with having four little babies. >> It's an adjustment. >> A glorious one, >> but it's an adjustment. >> They're so excited. >> So excited.

So expectant. We got Bill bringing the word today. So, it should be >> great. >> Fantastic. >> And then we got David and Emmy leading worship. So, it should be a really powerful time. >> And today, guys, we're going to be taking communion. So, this is a little um plug for you to grab some communion elements.

I know um we don't want that to be a surprise for you when the rest of the body is taking communion. So, if you've got anything that resembles a cracker, bread, a wafer, >> whatever it is, um get some grape juice or if you just have water, you can just take that with us as a church body today.

We'd love to celebrate Easter Sunday with you. >> Come on. It's so good to see familiar names on the chat there. We got Jocelyn and Eric, Joanni, Carol, Chris, David. >> We got Elias on there. Good to see you guys. Jim, good to see you. >> Uh Reneeas, good good to see you.

Brian, great to see you, buddy. Uh it's going to be a good day. Kath, the amazing Kath. Matt and Freddy holding it down. Good to see you guys. >> Be a great day. >> It's going to be a great day. And it's a great day to get healed, too.

So, uh, we're just really expecting, really believing for the Lord just to show up in profound ways and also for you to be praying with us. Often times, a lot of people come to church that don't normally come to church. True. And so, we're believing for a lot of salvations today, too.

So, >> absolutely partner with us. >> Maybe you're on this call and you don't know Jesus and you just happen to be watching. Well, you're about to hear about the resurrection of our king. A man who was born as a baby who gave his entire life so that we could be set free, we could be saved, that he would give everything so that we can understand what eternal salvation would look like. >> If that's you and you're already feeling that, h we just want to invite you to to know Jesus, to really know who he is.

We're going to give altar calls later. We're going to actually tell the story of Jesus, I'm sure, in so many different ways throughout this church service. But I'm >> I'm even going to mime it >> on stage. >> Amazing. God, I hope he has to do that. I really I really hope he has to m it.

I'm curious. >> You see worship? Someone going in the background doing trying to act it out. That's That'll be >> part of the gospel. Would you mime >> that's that'll be tough. It actually >> the birth of Jesus. >> It would be kind of hard to mime the birth of Christ.

Be probably too graphic. >> 100%. Yeah. A 10,000 birth. Oh God, help us Lord. Remember when Ruth was here and she helped with the antics? Here I am. I'm not new to his antics, but >> yeah, but if anything, I've become uh less filtered with a fourth child.

So, buckle up. >> I'm not even sure what that could mean. I'm not even sure. I'm not even sure. >> I'm excited. I'm excited to be with you guys. It's going to be a good day. And Easter is so fun. We had a wonderful morning with the family already.

I hope you're having a wonderful time with your family. >> What kind of traditions do you guys do in the morning? Oh man, we have pastries. So that's not a normal breakfast deal, but Ruth loves to have panachala. Oh, >> as they say with this just like a chocolate filled croissant. >> Pen. >> I refrained.

I refrained, actually. So I got to get back in shape cuz I gained a lot of weight over this pregnancy, too. So >> you know, I want to be with Ruth every step of the way. So when she gets bigger, I get bigger and then we decrease together.

So it it's uh it's good. But we always have pastries and coffee in the morning and I make the coffee up and >> it's good. >> And then the kids do a little chocolate egg hunt. Not a the British way. >> We got the little chocolate eggs. >> I did a chocolate egg hunt this morning for my friend at a coffee shop.

I hid a little Cadbury cream egg. She went searching all around the coffee shop. It was hidden behind um it was like the table number at a at a table. It was in front of her eyes. and she went walking around, went behind me, went around me. It was so cute.

Even as an adult, you can do the same thing and set your friends up. You know, >> that's awesome. >> Anything you guys do, um I saw that um hot cross buns are are a really important part. >> I had my first cross buns, however you say it, just last week. >> Cross buns. >> They're different. >> They're different. >> I'm not a big raisin guy, though. >> Okay.

So, >> I know a lot of the people who are watching, maybe you're from a Commonwealth nation, either the UK or Australia, and you guys eat hot cross buns on Easter. Let us know if you eat something um in particular, if you guys do something special to celebrate Easter.

We always do like an Easter brunch, you know, like an early dinner. >> You do? >> Yeah. >> Isn't that Is that called brunch? Cuz brunch is supposed to be more in between breakfast and lunch. So, isn't that more like liner? >> I think or you could say dunch. >> I'm not going to say Dun either.

Um, I call brunch >> what Hobbits call it in Lord of the Rings. They have a lot of meals, right? >> Yeah. Yeah. But that's not what we're going to do. We're going to have brunch as long as it's before like 2:00 p.m. It's brunch for Cass. >> That's amazing. >> It's the best.

We do brunch. And I mean, with church smack dab in the middle of the morning, >> I have to eat. >> Yeah. It's not very convenient, is it? But we would love to see. So some people are putting in the chat, what is a tradition that you do on the holidays?

That'd be awesome. A lot of people are going around with these hot cross buns. >> Yep. They love hot cross buns. >> That's a new thing for me. So >> it really >> they're okay. >> Yeah. I mean, I don't think they're supposed to be super sugary. >> Sorry.

My wife's British, so I I don't get it. >> We love it. >> I would rather have a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. >> Yes. our our South African uh community is saying that they also enjoy hot cross buns. They're I mean I also wake up and I read um the resurrection story.

I'm like I want to read it. I read each of the gospels this morning. I'm also single without children so that's different than Steve. >> Hey, you hear it here first, man. >> Okay, that's not that's not why that's not why put in the plug. >> Okay. Okay.

Uh >> look her up social media on Instagram DM. >> Okay. Anyways, reading the Bible and getting the different translations of the resurrection story. Some God, >> I got her. >> I got her. >> Let's read. Let's read. You want me to read it? I can read it for you. >> Father God. >> Yeah, you read it.

Which one is your favorite translation or or depiction? >> Oh, a depiction. Man, I don't know. >> He can't. They're all great. >> Okay, so let's think about this one. This one says that the people came. They went asking, "How old are you?" >> I can't get out of They are not They're not asking that.

They are not asking that. Okay. Um >> she likes the ocean. She likes going on adventure. She's athletic. >> Very strategic, very good at games. >> Okay. Um >> except for trivia apparently. I heard you you didn't do very well that night. I'm just hearing it from inside sources downtown at the >> I literally got answers correct and that person who was there didn't get a single question right. >> Oh my gosh.

Okay, my friends are betraying me. Um, it's fine. Anyways, he is risen. He is not in the tomb. He has risen. God, we thank you that you have risen. We thank you for joy. Holy Spirit Steve, why don't you uh why don't you give the people what they need this morning?

Why don't you pray for them? >> Why don't you uh Sorry. It's If you're new here, >> I'm sorry, but we are so glad you're joining us. Why don't you go ahead and hold out your hands like you're about to receive a gift. Nothing magical about this. It does help me remember my job is to receive, not achieve.

And just want to encourage you through this whole service that you just get to receive the love of God today. You don't have to work for it. You don't have to strive for it. It's all by grace that we have access to the kingdom of heaven. And so, Holy Spirit, we just invite you.

And I just want to encourage you in your own words, just even out loud, just say, "Holy Spirit, would you come and meet with me today?" And obviously, he's already here, but Father, we just invite your manifest presence into the room. God, I ask that you would give everyone just a fresh encounter with your love, with your goodness, that you would just re reveal truth and reveal your goodness to them in Jesus name.

And Father, I just thank you for a day filled with peace, joy, and laughter. >> With a lot of laughter. And so, Father, we just thank you and we just say do whatever you want in Jesus name. >> In Jesus name. >> Amen. >> Amen. Guys, we'll see you after um service today.

We love you. >> We won't I won't I won't be after service. >> I have four kids. >> Yeah. >> I'll be here. Brad will be here. >> I got to pick them up, guys. >> Get out of here. >> We'll see you soon. cut this. >> I'll see you next week, but I won't see you at the end of service.

But you will. But we love you. We're so glad you're joining us, and we'll she'll see you soon. >> See you soon. >> Bye. How is everyone? I can tell you guys are happy to see each other very happy. Everyone resurrection uh you didn't know on Friday our city churches all of our city churches gathered together.

Who was at that service? Anybody that service on Friday? There was three services on Friday at the civic. Every service maxed out. you'd be so proud of our city coming together to experience the love and the power of Jesus and the gospel. Uh we uh meet before the service.

We just had testimonies. There it is. Oh, see once the piano starts, you have to be quiet because whether it's the Holy Spirit or not, that's what happens in the moment. But we just heard testimonies of uh all of our students that are rolling back in from missions and the miracles and the signs and wonders and everything that's happened.

It's incredible. Um, and uh, we just have so much faith for what the Lord is going to do today. Can I read a scripture to you this morning? We're going to read, then we're going to greet each other, and then we're going to go into worship today. First Peter, here's what it says.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away.

Reserved in heaven for you. The Lord has something special planned for you. It's coming. Yes. And we get to today celebrate his resurrection. Oh, what a good day. What a good day. And you get to do that with people uh that have come from all over our city, some visitors, some from all over the world.

Uh you're next to them. I don't know if you know that, but you're next to some incredible, amazing people. And so, before we actually celebrate this living hope and we're going to worship together today, and if you're a guest, we're going to take time to worship the Lord today.

Why don't you find someone next to you that you do not know? Say hello to them. Greet them with a love of the Lord. Connect for just a moment and then we're going to go into worship. He's a reason. Sing it up from the ashes. From the ashes, your love has brought us out of the darkness and into your light. lifting our sorrows, bearing our burdens, and healing our hearts.

So to our God, we lift up one voice. To our God, we lift up one song. To our God, we lift up one voice. We're singing hallelujah. To our God, we lift up one voice. To our God we lift up one song. To our God we lift up one voice.

We're singing hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh our chains have been broken. Our eyes have been open. An army of trials is starting to rise. For death is defeated and we are victori. Shout this out. For you are alive. You are Lord. To our God we lift up one voice. To our God we lift up one song.

To our God we lift up one voice. We're singing hallelujah. To our God we lift up one voice. To our God we lift up one song. To our God we lift up one voice. We're singing hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We sing hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise you. Sing it. Hallelujah.

We'll make his praise. Glor glor. Glorious for his name is glorious glorious glory. We will make glorious glorious That is so glorious. Lift up one to our weal to our God. We lift up one voice to our God. We lift up one voice. Single. We're singing hallelujah. We're singing hallelujah.

The risen song we sing hallelujah. Make his praise glory. Glory. Glor >> for his name alone is glorious glorious glorious yes I sing out make his praise make his praise glorious glorious you are great and greatly to be praised Lord Lord, we shout your name. Glorious. Glorious. No one else is worthy.

Oh, we make your praise. Glorious. Glorious. Glorious for his name. You are glory. Glory. We sh your name. Glory to our God. We lift up one voice. >> To our God we lift up one song. >> To our God we lift up one voice. We sing hallelujah. To our God we lift up one voice. >> God we lift up one.

To our God, we lift up one voice singing hallelujah. Hallelujah. We sing hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. The victory is yours. You're riding on the storm. Your name is unfailing. The kingdoms rise and fall. Your throne withstands them all. Your name is unshaken. The victory is yours. You're riding on the storm.

Jesus, your name is unfailing. The kingdoms rise and fall. Your throne withstands them all. Your name is Let's just sing that a few more times. The victory, the victory yours on your right. Your name is unfilling, Lord. Though kingdoms rise and fall, your throne with stands them all.

Your name is unshaken. The victory, the victory is yours. Your name is unfailing. Though kingdoms rise and fall, your throne withstands them all. Your name, let's sing. Your name is the highest. Oh, your name is the highest and your name is the greatest and your name stands above.

Your name is unfailing Lord. All thrones and dominions, all powers and positions, your name stands above. >> Sing it again. Your name, oh your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above the wall. Above all thin and position your name is above your name.

Oh your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above the wall above all the stand. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. You'll always be holy, holy forever. You'll always be holy, holy forever. Holy is the Lord. Lord, holy is the Lord. Seated on the throne, the train of Israel.

It fills the temple. Worthy is your name. Worthy is your name. Let the heavens rejoice. Let the earth be glad and say among the nations that our God reigns. Our God reigns forever. Your king is our God. Oh our God reign forever. your kingom reign. Worship and adore.

Oh Jesus we adore. The perfect lamb was slain and now risen from the grave. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Our God reigns. Glor. Our God reign forever. Your kingom reign. Our God. Oh, our God reigns forever. Your kingom reign. Oh, he reigns forever. Our God reign. Our God forever. Your kingom reign.

Oh yes. He reign and he reigns. He reigns. He reigns. Over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God. We are the one who saves forever. Jesus reigns. He reigns. He reigns over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God.

The only one who s forever. Jesus reigns. He reigns. He reigns. over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God. The only one who lives forever. He will reign. He reigns. He reigns over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God.

The only one who saves. Forever Jesus reigns. Whoever Jesus reigns. Thank you Lord. Find us on our knees. Have mercy on us, please. Our hope is in you. We believe it's true that God can save a nation. Let's sing it out again. Found us on our knees. Have mercy on us, please.

All our hope, our hope is in you. And we believe it's true that God can save the nation. Oh. Oh. Oh. Lift your voices. Oh yes. You forever Jesus. Over heaven and all the earth. for every other day. Forever. Forever long. All the power and the glory. Yes.

Our God. Our God forever. your king. Oh yes, we declare forever forever. Your kingom reign. Hallelujah. Heat. Heat. forever. Here is her. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The only one you only The only one survive. The only one whoever you reign forever. >> Yes. Forever. Jesus. >> You reign forever.

Lord. seated at the right hand of the father. You reign forever. All the power belongs to you. You reign forever. >> Thank you Jesus. >> Forever Jesus. >> Forever Jesus wins. over death, over sickness, over hell. Forever Jesus reigns. >> Forever Jesus reigns. >> Jesus. >> Let's declare that today.

Forever Jesus reigns over our city, our nation, our world. Oh, forever Jesus reigns over the heavens and the earth and under the earth. Forever Jesus reign. There's no realm where you reign. You'll rule. Forever Jesus reigns. Your throne stands on Jesus. Forever Jesus reigns over every situation in your life.

Forever Jesus reigns. Oh forever Jesus reigns. Forever Jesus is death could not hold you. The veil tore before you. You silence the b of sin and grave. The heavens are roaring. the praise of you glory for you are raised to life again. You have and you have no rival Lord and you have no equal now and forever.

Forever Jesus reigns. Oh, and yours is the kingom. Yours is the glory. Yours is a name of sing that whole thing again. Death cannot hold you. Oh, death could not hold you. The veil tore before you. You silence the >> Come on, we celebrate the victory of Jesus today.

Now the heavens are roaring. We join in the praise of you. Glory for you are raised to life again. You have no right. You have no and forever. You yours is a kingom. Yours is the glory. Yours is the name above. What a powerful name it is. What a powerful name it is.

The name of Jesus Christ, my king. What a powerful name it is. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Jesus. Yours is the king. Yours is the name of yours is the kingom and yours is the glory and yours is the name above all. Sing that again.

Yours is the kingdom, Lord. Yours is the kingom and yours is the glory. Yours is the name. >> Yeah. A few more times. Yours is the kingdom. Yours is the kingom. Yours is the glory. Yours is the name. The name of Jesus. Yours is the kingom. >> Yours is the glor. >> Yours is the name above. >> What a powerful name.

What a powerful name it is. What a powerful name. >> The name of Jesus Christ. What a powerful name it is. >> What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. >> What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. >> What a powerful name it is.

The name of Jesus. Yeah. Let's just lift up the name of Jesus. Lift a shout to him today. The name of Jesus. Oh, the perfect son of God in all his innocence. Here walking in the dirt with you and me. He knows what living is. He's acquainted with our grief.

The man of sorrow, son of suffering. Oh, blood and tears. How can it be that there's a God who wears and there's a God who believes? Oh, praise the one who would reach for me. We sing hallelujah to the son of suffering. Well, some imagine you are distant and removed, but you chased us down in merciful pursuit.

To the sinner you are grace and the broken you embraced. And in the end the proof is in your wounds. Thank you Lord that in the end the proof is in your wounds. Oh blood and tears. How can it be? That there's a God who is and there's a God who believes and I'll praise the one who would reach for me.

We sing hallelu to the son of suffering. Hallelujah. Your cross is my freedom. Your stripes are my healing. All praise. King Jesus. Glory to God in heaven. Your blood is still speaking and your love is still reaching all praise. King Jesus, glory to God forever. Your cross is my freedom.

Your stripes are my healing. All praise. King Jesus. Glory to God. Your blood is still speaking. Your love is still reaching all praise. King Jesus. Glory to God forever. Glory to God forever. Glory to God forever. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Yeah. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Let's just shout to the Lord one time. 1 2 3. Shout to the Lord. Come on. Wow. Woo. Well, it's so good to see you. You can stay standing. We're going to take communion in just a moment. If you can find the elements there, I bring you greetings from Germany.

I was in Germany. Yeah, you guys stay standing. We're going to take communion standing up here. Ben Fitzgerald and what a great movement the awakening movement is all over Germany. So exciting what's happening there. I want to read you a passage out of Isaiah 53. Isaiah prophesied 500 years before Christ came and he wrote this.

Surely our griefs he himself bore and our sorrows he carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities and the chast chastening of all fell upon him. And by his scorgings we were healed.

For all of us were like sheep. We've gone astray. Each has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of all of us to fall upon him. I I just we're going to take communion in a minute. I was remembering when we were in Weaverville, we uh you know, Tracy Evans and and my mentor Bill Derrybury, they started leading so many people to Christ in our little church.

And I remember that this one man, he was just got out of prison. He was in prison, I think 25 years for murder. He was 6'8. He looked, he had this big beard. He looked like a mountain man. And I remember the first day he came to our church.

You're sitting about halfway back and Bill was preaching and the man stood up and he goes, "I don't agree with that and Bill looks over at me. He goes, "Go take care of that." So, so I went up to him up to him and uh I said, "Hey, bro."

He's like, "Am I doing something wrong?" He says really loud. Yeah. We don't actually rebuke the preacher while he's preaching. Sorry, just got out of prison. Just found Christ. So that's awesome. So about I guess a couple of months later, we started calling him Lurch. He looks like Lurch.

And I affectionately started calling him Lurch. The sweetest man. He had this incredible had this incredible salvation experience in uh in prison. And so we baptized about 40 people in the in the pool in a motel pool. And he was one of them. And and Charlie Bill said, "You and Charlie helped me baptize."

So I got in a pool and I had a line of people. and Charlie and Bill both had a line of people. Lurch is in my line. So, he gets to me and I I baptized him. I did a pretty good job getting him under the water, but I couldn't get him up because he's so heavy.

So, I I put my spread my legs like this. Well, what you may not know is I can't swim. And I stepped off the deep end. And I was like, and Lurch reaches over and grabs me by the shirt, picks me up in the air, and sets me right in front of my family.

He's like, "Are you all right? There's a difference between humility and humiliation. And I I just start this morning. I don't know why I haven't thought of that story for years. And I was just I was thinking about how the blood of Christ transformed that man. He was the happiest.

You would have never known he killed somebody. And I don't know what you're going through, but I want to say that Jesus is enough for you. I don't care how far how far you've fallen. He can rescue you. I And by the way, the blood of Jesus doesn't just forgive you.

It restores you to a greater place. God, he didn't just save us. He transformed us into a new creation. If you're in this place, you're online today. I want to tell you, you you may you may be addicted to drugs. You may you it does but it doesn't matter what you've done.

I mean, the Apostle Paul was a murderer and he became the Apostle Paul. Written 13 books of the Bible. I mean, tell me God can't redeem anyone. Come on. And so, this morning, we're going to take the the wafer right here, the bread. Okay, grab it. Here we go.

And I want you to hold it up. Can you hold it up? And I want you to say this. Jesus, >> Jesus, >> I thank you for your broken body. I thank you >> that you were broken >> you were broken >> so I >> so I >> could be whole >> I can be healed >> I can be healed >> and Lord right now >> I receive >> the broken body of Jesus >> the broken body >> for myself >> for my family >> for my friends >> and for all those who are far away from you >> for all those >> I receive it right now in Jesus name and let's just take it and let's break it and let's partake of it in Jesus name.

Thank you Jesus. Now I will attempt to open this without spilling it on me. Hold up the cup. Jesus said this is a cup of a new covenant. Say this. This is the cup. God >> of a new covenant. >> of a new covenant. >> You know what the old covenant was?

The old covenant was you try to get into heaven through your works. >> 500 years before Christ, Isaiah cried out, "There's none righteous, not even one." And how many understand that this new covenant means that I got into heaven through his works, >> through the blood of the cross?

Aren't you glad that you live on this side of the cross? If you're following us on Bethl TV YouTube, just just hopefully you got some bread by now. I sorry I should have warned you, but I know we have very prophetic people who probably know we're taking communion today.

Oh, God bless America. Anyway, >> let's take this cup right now and let's say, Jesus, >> Jesus, >> I thank you for the blood. >> I thank you >> of a brand new covenant. >> I thank you. You died >> for me. And you died as me. >> You died. >> You rose from the dead. >> You rose with me. >> And I rose with you. >> And I rose. >> And today I celebrate >> Today I celebrate >> that I get to be a part >> of a family of God. >> Family of God. >> Because there's a brand new covenant. >> And I receive it for myself. >> I receive it for myself. and for my family >> and for my family >> and for my friends >> and far on and all of those >> and all of those >> who far away from the Lord. >> I receive it for them today in Jesus name.

Let's take the cup. Now, if you're a guest here, we aren't we aren't weird. We are unique. I'd like you just to put your hand on your neighbor's shoulder. On their shoulder. There you go. Sorry, we're a little touchy, Philly. If you're sensitive, it's okay to say, "Please don't touch me."

That really is okay to say that. And I want you to say this. I release >> I release >> a new blessing >> a new blessing >> for a whole new day. >> For a whole new day >> on you and your family >> on you and your family.

And may you be blessed. May your house be a house of laughter. >> May your house be a house. >> May everything in your home. >> May everything in your home. >> And everything that matters to you. >> May everything >> prosper in Jesus. >> Jesus. >> Amen. >> Amen. >> Amen.

All right. You can give someone a hug if you want. I have one prophetic word that came to me this morning. Um, if you I I heard Easter babies is Easter babies. If you're online, Easter babies. How many of you How many of you are trying to have a baby?

Now, you have to be married. How many of you are trying to have a baby and you'd like to have an Easter baby? Okay, put your hands up. Okay, extend your hands towards these folks right here. Lord, we release Easter babies. Say this. I release >> I release >> Easter babies >> on you >> and our whole family online in Jesus name. >> Amen.

And may you name them Chris. Amen. Okay. Maybe not. Maybe not that part. All right, Lauren. A that's just fun. Can't wait. Well, happy resurrection day. What a beautiful morning it's already been. If you are looking for a seat, we're going to try to help you out for a sec here.

Uh if you've got a seat open next to you, would you raise a hand? Give us a little signal. There we go. Maybe hold up how many seats you got. Look, look, look. Okay, if you're around the side or the back, there's definitely some room in this room.

We've also got our overflow room open across the hall to my left. So, our ushers will help you guys find a seat. So glad you're here today. Happy happy Easter. Okay, this is our moment for our junior highers. If you're in our junior high disciplehip class, we would just invite you to pop up and make room for those that don't have a seat. and you can head over to the dining room for your junior high disciplehip class.

Junior highers, we're glad you're here, guys. So much fun today. My kids were losing their minds about the jump castle outside. I don't know if anybody else was. Liam was very concerned because he's in the forest class. He's like, "Mom, it's over the fence. It's over the fence."

He was worried he wasn't going to get to go across the fence and jump today. But anyways, our kids are having a blast. It is such a good day to be with you guys. Uh, we love taking an opportunity to welcome firsttime visitors. And I know this room is packed, so we probably have some people in here for the first time.

If that's you, would you just wave your hand and give us a a a wave? Any first- time guests in the house? One here. Oh, amazing. Great. Great. Yeah, keep your hands up. Our ushers have got cards that are just for our first time guests. So, have somebody in your family keep a hand raised till you get one of these cards.

We would just welcome you to go and visit our south lobby info center after service. We've got teams there to pray for you and prophesy for you over you. And if you're here to stay, if you're considering making Bethl your home church, then it's a big deal to us that you know how to get plugged in and connected.

So, our teams will help you with that. First time guest. So, good to have you. Okay, one announcement before we see church news today is that tonight at 6 PM at our 6 p.m. service, we're having an encounter night. So, we would welcome you to join us and Easter encounter night.

I can only imagine all the wild things that God might get up to with us tonight here. So, we would welcome you to join us at our 6 PM service if you're interested. All right, we got church news. Happy Resurrection Sunday, Bethl family. I'm Jamila Opage, multicultural and BSSM pastor, and we are so glad you've joined us today. >> And I'm Rory Helert, our Young Saints youth pastor here at Bethl.

And here's this week's church news. Happy Resurrection Sunday. Today we join with the body of Christ to celebrate the resurrection of our savior and the victory that we have in him. This past week was significant as we gathered in times of worship and prayer throughout Holy Week and for the citywide Good Friday service.

Today we remember and celebrate the freedom and new life found in Christ. >> Welcome back to our BSSM missions trip teams. You guys served and released the kingdom of God in over 25 different nations. We celebrate all the miraculous ways God moved through your teams during these trips.

And we also wanted to say a huge thank you to our church community for praying and financially sewing into our teams as we launched them throughout the nations to release heaven on earth. Revival regions are monthly gatherings where neighbors come together to worship, share meals, open the word of God, and pursue connection with one another.

We believe that during these times, Jesus is glorified and transformation is available to hearts and homes and neighborhoods. Visit bethl.com/revival regions to find out when and where your region will be meeting this month. If you've missed any of these announcements, you can find them at bethl.com/urchnews. >> Remember, he is risen.

We hope you have an amazing week. Christ is risen. >> He is risen indeed. All of those that I grew up in a Methodist church. So, we declare that. This morning, I woke up with a hymn that I tried to sing to our team huddle and only Lauren knew it.

So, I was quite sad. Maybe you know, you know, Christ the Lord is risen today. Huh? Thank you. Thank you. I feel vindicated right there. Uh so um raise the joy and triumph high. Yes. Amen. He is risen. Well, it is offering time. Um and as I was just Hallelujah.

You can thank you Trinity for joining me in offering time. It is a time where we get to continue our worship through giving. And as I was just saying, Lord, what do you want to say about offering? I feel like the Lord um is wanting to Well, I know this.

The Lord spoke to Dave Ward about three months ago and he said, "Many, many victories for Bethl over the next three months." And we are in the final week of that three months. Many, many victories for Bethl Church. And I was thinking about the scripture in Psalm 84 that even the sparrow uh has found a home to swallow its nest, a place to lay her young.

And then Matthew 6 that we have nothing to worry about because if he clothe the lilies, then how much more will he take care of us? And so would you just take your um your tithe today, your offering, maybe you give by phone, so hold your phone or hold something, but would you stand with me and uh we're going to declare offering reading number one in just a minute.

But I just want to declare over our finances many victories. Many, many victories. And um I believe that you know deep deep in my heart that Jesus he he came and he overcame everything that the enemy stole from us when in the garden when the curse was put on us.

And part of that was that man would toil the ground that the ground would resist it. And and so Jesus on the cross, he paid for our salvation, for our reconciliation, but he also paid that we could be reconciled back to working and it bearing fruit by his spirit and in his name.

Amen. And so today we declare over our finances that the Lord desires for us to prosper so that we can be a blessing so that we can sew and invest. And as we give, we make a declaration that this money didn't come from me. It came from him and I put it back because Jehovah Gyra, he is my provider.

Amen. So we hold it out and we're going to read offering reading number one. One, two, three. As we receive today's offering, we are believing the Lord for jobs and better jobs, raises and bonuses, benefits, sales and commissions, favorable settlements, estates and inheritances, interest and income, rebates and returns, checks in the mail, gifts and surprises, finding money, debts paid off, expens finances decrease, blessing and increase.

Thank you, Lord, for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Yeah. We're going to pray. Lord Jesus, I thank you. I thank you, God, for for this financial seed.

Lord God, I thank you that as you became a seed in the ground to produce fruit, Lord, today we bring this offering as a portion of our of our giving. God, make it a seed in the ground to produce fruit. And Lord, as we sew this today, God, we say our lives are yours for your glory.

And Lord, would you multiply, God, that which we have that your name would be glorified. We thank you, Lord, for meeting all of our financial needs. We thank you Lord that you are the one that meets our needs. You are our provider and we give as a declaration that everything we have is yours.

Everything comes from you. And Lord as we give God we position ourselves Lord to come to know Jehovah Gyra our provider. Your grace is sufficient in Jesus' name. And the people say amen. Well, we're going to pass the buckets. Declare victory as you put something in the bucket and welcome up.

Post the bill with me. >> Happy Easter. >> He is risen. >> Is risen indeed. Oh, so good to see you. Happy happy days. How many of you were able to make it to uh the Good Friday service on Sunday? Uh Friday, I mean Good Friday service on Sunday.

Yeah. Yeah. That only happens here. Yeah, good Friday service on Sunday. Um, anybody else have a challenging time getting out of the parking lot? I I just I just drove in now from the parking lot from the Not Not quite. I was I was thinking back when uh years ago when we first started needing to do multiple services and you have to end one at a certain time or you cause a problem for the next one.

And we learned that one day when we had gone over like 10 minutes over the allotted time and um and a friend of mine was in the parking lot stuck there for 45 minutes trying to get out of the parking lot because of who was coming in and you know the previous service is over and and so I reminded myself of that while I sat in the parking lot at the civic for about 45 minutes actually.

Yeah. So so now I fully understand I should call him and say I feel your pain. I feel your pain. It was such a wonderful event. I don't know how many churches were involved this year. I I know in years past uh I was told it was 80 plus churches involved in reading uh in this event.

So it was just so much fun. I and I I I was at the 4:00 and and uh it it was, you know, you could hear the crying babies and the children and all this stuff, which was perfect because it's important that we uh establish righteous traditions in our households.

And it just means we endure some things because it's worth it. And uh so all of you that were part of that, thanks. Thanks for being there. It was so good. and next year see if we can have a traffic flow gift of wisdom that comes before actually not having road work done on the day might help.

So those of you that were there you experienced the pain. All right. I have something I've read before but it's appropriate today. A man, his wife, and his mother-in-law went on vacation to the Holy Land. While they were there, the mother-in-law passed away. The undertaker told them, "You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land for $150."

The man thought about it, told him he'd just soon have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, "Why? Why would you spend $5,000 to send your ship your mother-in-law home when it would be wonderful to have her buried here and only spend $150?" The man replied, "A man died here 2,000 years ago.

He was buried here. Three days later, he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance. It's the only Easter one I have. So, anyway. All right. Uh, grab your Bibles. We're going to we're going to read several portions of scripture today. Uh, some of them I'll just read for you, but there's at least two that I want you to to be there with me.

And the first one is 1 Corinthians chapter 5. But let me start with somewhat of an unrelated but related story out of the Gospel of John. Jesus had close friendships with uh a number of people specifically uh Mary, Martha, Lazarus, two sisters and a brother. And they sent notice to Jesus that uh Lazarus was very very sick.

And the scripture says when he received the news, he waited a couple more days. He delayed intentionally. And uh God does not work for us, we work for him. And there are times where his timing, in fact, usually his timing is different than mine. My timing is always right now.

Sometimes him his is later. And but he delayed two more days. And in God's wisdom, he will delay something for greater glory, greater promise, greater breakthrough, greater strength for us, and greater glory for him if uh if that's what wisdom is. And that's what he did here. He delayed.

And by the time Jesus showed up a few days later, Mary and Martha both greeted Jesus independently and said, "If you would have been here, our brother wouldn't have died." Jesus said uh he's going to rise in in the resurrection. The resurrection is coming. And Martha says, "I know the resurrection is coming."

And then Jesus makes this statement. He says, "I am the resurrection and the life." Now, just think with me now. Jesus hasn't died. He hasn't been raised from the dead. >> He hasn't ascended. He hasn't been glorified. He's in earthly body yet to die, probably three years or so away from this moment.

And yet he announces or introduces himself as the resurrection and the life. Which tells us then that the resurrection was more than an event. It was a person. >> Yes. >> In the same way that he is the person of resurrection, my personal conviction is he is the person of heaven itself. as there's nothing in heaven that is separate from his presence.

There isn't a a presence part, a blessing part, an angel part, you know, a saints part. It's all of it's connected to the actual manifested presence of the spirit of God. To emphasize that Jesus is the center of everything is the most logical thing we can do >> because everything actually comes from him.

Yes, >> in him we live and move and have our being. Jesus declares over and over again and illustrates what an ascended or a resurrected life looks like before he ever died. Of course, after that moment, he raises Lazarus from the dead and illustrated what resurrection looks like.

But what fascinates me is that Jesus Jesus is called the firstborn from the dead, but he's not the first one to be raised from the dead. >> Lazarus he raised the child he raised. >> The army of dry bones. That's I I want to see the video on that one.

A whole army raised literally raised from the dead. Uh others the prophet laid on the child that had died and was raised alive. So many were raised from the dead in scripture, but they all died again. Jesus is called the firstborn from the dead because he as a birth was resurrected never to die again. >> So a whole new race, a whole new uh type of person uh was uh he Jesus illustrated and had the breakthrough and modeled for the rest of us.

If I can put it this way, he obtained something in the resurrection so that you and I would know resurrection. >> That's right. >> The Christian life is the life of resurrection. >> In first in 1 Corinthians 15, let's let's just uh get into this and this will help us. 1 Corinthians 15, it says verse 14, it says, "If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty." and your faith is also empty.

Verse 16, if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. That's interesting. If the dead don't rise, then Christ is not risen. What is the implication? If Jesus was raised from the dead, that's the assurance that people will be raised from the dead. >> In other words, if Jesus is raised from the dead, that's the assurance that resurrection life will introduce you to eternity. >> Yes.

Verse 17. If Christ is not risen, then your faith is feudal. You are still in your sins. >> If Jesus isn't raised from the dead, then you're still stuck in sin. >> But I thought it was the blood that wiped away sin. If he died and wasn't raised, doesn't the blood still deal with sin?

To me, the death and resurrection of Christ are two sides of the same coin. The death of Christ was proven valid because of the resurrection. >> It was the resurrection that put the stamp of approval, if you will, on the power of the blood of Jesus. So, we never get to separate those two realities, the death and resurrection of Christ, because they work in tandem.

The death of Christ, the blood of Jesus pulls us out of the red. The resurrection puts us into the black. >> It was never meant for us just to be sinfree. We were meant designed to be the righteousness of Christ. >> Very good. >> And it's the resurrection that makes that possible.

All right. So he says in verse 18, uh, excuse me, 19, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most to be pied. That's a bizarre statement to me. If our our hope in Christ is only for this life, then we are pitiful. >> Here's here's what I want you to see.

The resurrection of Christ is the assurance of eternity. Living aware of the power, the beauty, the wonder of resurrection is what helps us to understand heaven is home. >> It's just too easy to be to live with the awareness of an inferior reality. It's too easy to fill my heart, my mind with the reports or the news or the whatever of problems that are going on in the earth that need our attention.

They don't need my affection. >> Living from Christ towards the problems is my assignment. When I fill my heart and mind with the troubles and the difficulties and I lose sight of eternity, I lose sight more specifically of the power of resurrection. Then I live with a religious burden to strive to see things fixed. >> We only live where we die.

Help us, sir. >> The Christian life is not about determination. It's about surrender. It's about yielding. Paul said, "It's no longer I who live, but it's Christ who lives in me." The only thing you and I will ever do in this life that is worthwhile will be when Jesus expresses himself in and through us. >> Everything else is a copy.

Romans chapter 6. Please turn to Romans chapter 6. In Romans 6, the Apostle Paul uses water baptism um to illustrate death and resurrection. And he does it with water, a person being immersed in baptism. That's the grave. That's their burial. When they are brought up out of the water, that's resurrection.

So, it's it's a it's a visual. It's a picture. It's real. It's substantial. Physical obedience brings spiritual release. So anytime we obey the Lord in external things, it releases the presence and power of God. We part took of communion earlier, the bread and the uh the body and the blood of Jesus.

It's a powerful event. Water baptism, uh tithing, um so many things that we do, raising our hands, kneeling, all this physical obedience brings us spiritual release. And so in this particular story line or this lesson, we start with verse four. Says, "Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we should walk in the newness of life."

Now, just think with me as as we read these these to me, this is a uh this is a chapter that's a continuous electric shock chapter. It just kind of is is there to to make sure my heart is beating in in tune with his. So look at this again.

He says, "Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we should walk in newness of life. Our walk should be consistent with the reality of the resurrection. The resurrection defines the reality of the Christian life. All right, that went over well.

Let's move on to uh verse five. For we have been united together in the likeness, if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man, old nature, was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Think right now of of historically the worst sinner you've ever read about. Maybe a a a murderer of 50 people. Maybe it was Hitler or whoever. That person is dead and they're not sinning anymore. >> Because dead people don't sin. >> Come on, sir. >> Exactly. >> And according to scripture, you're dead.

Verse seven, for he who has died has been freed from sin. If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all.

But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon or consider yourself to be dead to sin. Okay, ponder that verse with me for a minute. Likewise, in the same way, all right, what has he done? He's just established the death, the resurrection of Christ.

And then he says, "Conistant with your faith that this is true, believe you are dead to sin." >> The same faith that you have for the death and resurrection of Christ, let that be the standard for your faith that you are dead to sin. Now there's there are um you know so many self-help books.

In fact, if you want to write a bestseller, just write a self-help book. Uh cuz people want help. And there's a lot of stuff on the power of positive thinking. Uh you don't even have to know Jesus. If you think positive, your life will be better. Not eternally, but here and now.

It does help. I I wish more people were just positive, you know, just Stop being stupid. Be positive. >> Yeah, I don't believe in that. Yeah, I can tell. I I know. I know. I know. It's something you never had to tell me. By the way, I bless our online community.

Bless you. We love you. We're thankful for you. All right. So, the power positive thing is real. Uh if a if a a couple is having difficulty in marriage, if they adjust their thinking, they can improve their marriage. It can improve your business, your the way you service people in a maybe in a restaurant, you start thinking more positively.

You're you're going to have a a greater appeal for customers, etc. So, there is a measure of improvement through power positive thinking. This isn't that. >> This isn't imagine yourself dead to sin. This is thinking from the revelation of the almighty God >> as to what actually took place when Jesus was raised from the dead.

This is thinking consistent with the greatest reality in the universe and that is that Jesus died and was raised again. So what happens if you can imagine um hoisting a sail in your mind in your thinking and you're moving with the thought patterns of God himself. You're being directed empowered because God says these things are true.

Now your thoughts mirror that reality. your experience starts to be shaped by this incredible reality that what used to be appealing is no longer appealing. >> And if as you read Romans 6 and 1 Corinthians 13, there's this overwhelming sense that our thought life has a whole bunch to do with the outcome.

And it's much bigger than the power of positive thinking. It is literally embracing the mind of Christ and let letting that grace that is illustrated through his thoughts be the very thing that drives us from victory to victory. >> This is this is the normal Christian life. >> Yes.

Come on. >> So when he says likewise reckon or consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ our Lord. The very next phrase, therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies. Do not let sin. So, in other words, this resurrection has made things available to us that we have to apprehend and put into use. >> He does not do it for us. >> Does that make sense sense?

He he when he says, "All right, you're dead to sin now. Don't let sin reign in your mortal body. He's announcing the fact sin is still a possibility. >> But you have to leave your nature in Christ to do it. >> That's it. >> You have to change your identity. >> You have to think inconsistent with what Christ has done. >> Come on. >> How many of you have been um you used to you used to live with a lot of depression and discouragement?

All right. How many of you remember when you got you got free from that and and it's not the same anymore? >> Did you figure out that you could still be depressed if you wanted to? >> I I I I don't do that anymore. But I know how >> I know how.

Just leave me with certain people. No, no, no, no, it's not there. Just Just hold hold on. All I have to do is entertain certain thoughts, certain ways of thinking, and and I don't mean uh immoral things. I mean things that are inconsistent with him. >> Does that make it's it's not our our biggest challenge for me.

My biggest challenge is not porn and immorality and all all these things. >> It's thinking that I'm the answer. or if I try hard, I could fix this. >> It's it's living from a different place than the resurrection of Christ. >> It's if I work hard, maybe I can maybe I can turn this situation around when actually the only thing that'll turn around is the resurrected Christ. >> It's somehow believing in human skill and talent when in fact I need the invasion of the almighty God. >> Does that make sense? the these these inferior ways of thinking that that maybe this depends on me and so then I step in and and work really hard and get real sweaty and determined and nothing changes. >> Nothing changes until there's surrender. >> Surrender is the invitation that brings Christ into a broken situation. >> I want you to look with me if you would to Colossians chapter 3.

Actually, no. Go to John chapter 3. They're not the same. It's a coincidence they're the same number. John chapter 3. I've been wanting to um I've been I've I've been working on something in my own personal life for about 10 years, exploring a thought that's introduced in Jesus's life that I personally think is often ignored.

I've tried to address it briefly here and there. I'm trying to learn myself and it's some people have referred to it as the ascended lifestyle and it's it seems so impractical for most believers and yet it is actually the normal Christian life. And Jesus in this one verse illustrates his way of life unlike any other.

And revelation in scripture is always always carries with it the invitation to come to know him experientially. Let me illustrate it this way. In fact, I'll give you two illustrations. One, Abraham. Abraham, as many of you would know, was put into the ultimate test to offer his son as an offering to the Lord.

The Lord stopped him and said, "Now I know you'll do anything I say." And he still needed, he had an altar built. He still needed a sacrifice to give to the Lord. So the Lord said revealed himself to him as Jehovah Gyra. Jehovah Gyra means the God who provides.

So God reveals himself to Abraham. I am the God who provides for you. And then he had him look up in a bush and there was a ram caught in a thick in a in a piece in a brush. And so Abraham who just discovered the name of God, he's Jehovah Gyra, saw God provide for him in that bush, he went and took the ram and sacrificed it to the Lord.

The point I'm trying to make is that when God revealed himself as the provider, it wasn't so that Abraham would have a better theological understanding of the nature of God. It was so that he'd be introduced to provision. He wanted him to experience the provision. It wasn't good enough that he went down the mountain having offered no sacrifice. >> Are you alive? >> Are does this make sense?

So God's interest wasn't in making Abraham a theologian. He was trying to reveal his nature to his friend through provision. >> So when the Lord reveals himself in a specific way is so that we can come to know him experientially in that in that way. >> One of my favorite portions of scripture is Proverbs 35 and 6 where it says trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. In all your ways acknowledge him. He'll make your path straight. He'll make you successful in your journey. The word acknowledge there. In all your ways acknowledge him. It's the same word as in Genesis and Adam knew Eve and she conceived and bore a son.

It's an experiential knowledge. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> In all your ways experientially come to know God in that way. So I have different ways in my life. I'm a dad. >> I'm a grandfather. I'm a pastor. I'm a writer. I'm a friend. I'm different things. I can come to know God as a pastor and not come to know him as a father. >> Yes.

Yeah. >> So my fatherhood will be shortsighted because I don't intimately know him as father. >> Maybe a business person. He's the ultimate business person. Come to know him in that part of his nature and in that intimate connection with God in that part of your life. That's where he helps to enable, empower you, me, to be successful in what he's assigned us to do and to become.

Does that make any sense? In all your ways, acknowledge him. So your mom, you you you sit at the feet of the one who knows motherhood better than anyone. And in that experience, a grace is given to be able to be successful practically with wisdom in how you do life. an artist, a musician, doesn't matter what it is, a pilot, it doesn't matter.

He flies well. He's high and lifted up. No, I never know. So, that was bad. That was bad. All right. John chapter 3. I'm just going to take one verse out of half this chapter is Jesus teaching Nicodemus and his disciples. So you you've got to picture this.

In this in this portion of scripture, Jesus is introducing mind-boggling ideas. Sometimes he explains things that everybody understands and they have clarity of heart and mind. Other times he introduces things that are completely outside of their experience. This chapter is one of those. He says, "You have to be born again."

Nicodemus says, "Do do I have to go back into my mother's womb and get and be born?" You know, so they're they're they're mind their minds boggled by what Jesus is introducing. And then he caps it all off with verse 13. He says, "No one has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the son of man who is in heaven.

No one has ascended." Remember this Jesus before he died and was raised from the dead introduced himself as the resurrection and the life. And now before he has died, ascended, resurrected, ascended, glorified, before he's done any of that, he is now expressing his lifestyle. And he says, "No one has ascended to heaven with one exception.

That's the son of man who came from heaven, who is now in heaven. only said what? >> What his father >> said. He only did what? >> He only did what his saw his father do. How did he have that perspective? >> How did he have that view? >> Are are you with me?

H how how did he know? Now, I understand that this seems so abstract and and it is from the way most of us do life, but Jesus actually is giving us understanding and therefore an invitation to learn what this means. If you abide in me, my words abide in you.

You ask anything you want, it'll be done for you. Abide in me. Live conscious of the spirit of God, of the presence of God, of heaven itself. Let my words abide in you. Treasure what I say to you. Hold it dear to your heart. Then you will be positioned to co-labor with me to bring about your influence in the course of history. and I will do what you ask for is that role of co- lababoring is completely dependent upon us embracing living conscious of him right now sitting where you are you can just very simply turn your affection towards the Holy Spirit >> and suddenly we become aware of him presence it's eternity it's the promise of eternity it's that place as we learn to live from the place of the presence of God.

We are much more capable and qualified to bring heavenly solutions to earthly problems. >> It's living in this place where there's no sweat to see a miracle. We were just in James River a week and a half ago and one of our students was there and uh the prayer line praying for people at the end.

They said it felt like cheating. It was so easy. It was just so easy to see miracles happen. Just they prayed for this when they were healed. Prayed for that when they were healed. Prayed for that when they were healed. The point was it just it was just so it was without effort, which is how the miraculous works. >> Effort messes up the miraculous. >> Yeah.

Come on. >> If I sweat to get it, I'll take credit for it. >> Yeah. >> So true. >> So Jesus says, "No one has ascended except he who descended." That's the son of this is before his death, his resurrection, before his ascension. He says, "Nobody's ascended except for me, and I am now in heaven."

And you can imagine the disciples going, "I'm pretty sure I can see you." But he was he was actually illustrating something that's available to us. Paul later would find language for it when he said, "We are seated in Christ in heavenly places. Every time you do something different than your old nature, every time you stop to give attention to that one person to express your love for them, every time you stop to pray for that person with great need, every time you share your faith, every time you do anything outside of the ordinary, you are actually demonstrating the resurrection of Christ. >> All these things are are expressions of the one who conquered death. >> And for me, it appears to me that the entire Christian life is living in a place where we express he is alive. >> Yes. >> Miracles actually testify of his resurrection.

They are actually part of the living witnesses, if you will, that he conquered death. We owe it to the people around us. We owe it to ourselves. There's something about hunger that brings that that brings about transactions from heaven. There's something about hunger for him that changes what's possible.

I we've said through the years, you know, uh what you need in life will be brought to you, but much of what you want, you'll have to pursue >> because what you were born for, he put in you as desire that has to be stirred and provoked so that we pursue, we cry out, we pray, we fast, we do all these different things because we're we're saying, "I know I'm alive for more than what I've experienced."

And you're here because of that. Many of you moved here from the other side of the planet. You left family, friends, jobs, everything just to be a part of, not just a company of people that could watch a miracle and give applause to be a part of a company of people that knew what resurrection life was about. >> And that's the invitation. >> That is actually the invitation is that I hunger for the more that he makes available.

So he says, "Nobody has ascended into heaven except he that descended, that is the son of man who is in heaven." So he was illustrating how he knew what the father was doing. He was illustrating how he could hear what the father was saying. He was illustrating what the value system of heaven is like. >> One more passage I'll read to you.

It's out of Colossians chapter 3 and then we'll we'll wrap this up. Colossians 3. I don't know. Do do you guys do you ever have chapters that just they stand out to you by themselves and you just like to read them occasionally all by itself? And this is one that that I read whenever I want to get punched in the face.

This is I don't mean that in a violent sense. I mean this more in a confrontive sense. It honestly it's it's such an incredible chapter. But I'm just going to read the first few verses. Verse one says, "If then you were raised with Christ," how many of you were raised with Christ? "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God." equal to the reality of you being born again because of the resurrection of Christ.

In that same manner, pursue things that are unseen. >> Verse two, set your mind on things above, not on things on earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Verse two, look at it again. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. All right. I don't know how to do that. I'm trying. I don't want to be in a car. A taxi or Uber driver is imagining angels surrounding their throne singing holy, holy, holy.

I want to be in a car with a driver who's thinking about the road that we're on and the destination that we're going to. I don't want to have surgery from a doctor, >> right, >> who's praying in tongues and is seeing Jesus at the right hand of the father when he's supposed to be cutting something out of me.

Are you catching my I don't want to have my car repaired by someone who doesn't know what a wrench is, but they do know their Bible. I'm thankful they know their Bible, but I want my car fixed. >> So, somehow this reality of having my mind set on things above has to be able to fit into the lifestyles that we live. >> Do do you understand my the dilemma? >> Good. >> So, here's what I think.

I think it all begins if I can go back to the verse I quote may maybe more than any other John 15:7 abide in me. So what's the point? Living conscious of the presence of God and carrying a word puts eternity in my heart. >> It does something.

It does something to satisfy my soul in a way that another car or another nice meal or whatever won't satisfy there. There's something so intensely satisfying by living in the manifest presence of the spirit of God that nothing else can equal. >> Yeah. And from my experience which is limited from my experience it's that cultivation of presence that helps me to live with the awareness that there's more. >> There's more.

There's more than this. >> I'm thankful but I'm also hungry. There's something about the hunger for more that brings the more. >> He's he's a covenant of God who says, "You pray and I respond. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

There's something about the hunger and the pursuit that affects dramatically how things happen in this life. I I think sometimes we've been taught. So this I'm opening a can of worms now. This is which is a brilliant thing to do right at the end of a message. It's just absolutely brilliant.

But I I think sometimes we we become so so intensely committed to denying ourself which we must do that we actually deny the resurrected part of ourselves. In other words, it's the Christ in us. Some of the desires we have are actually the offspring of our relationship with God.

And we continue to crucify the resurrected Christ in us to prove our devotion >> instead of proving devotion through obedience. >> Yes. >> I probably should end it right there just before I before I hurt anyone else. >> It's there there the Lord's put stuff in us. He's put dreams in us. >> They have to they have to play out in his way.

It it's it's it's not me determining my future. >> It's me surrendering knowing I have a future. >> And then he then he requires me to act. >> He requires me to pursue. He requires me to ask. He requires me to take risk. All these things are a part of how I live in the realization that I'm actually living in eternity towards time.

I'm living from heaven towards the the afflictions and stuff of this earth. So, all right, it's over. Let me ask a question. The most important thing that could happen today, absolutely more important than any other, would be that people in this room would leave knowing what it is to be forgiven of God, what it is to be adopted, brought into his family, to be to experience what the Bible calls be born again.

And so I want to give that opportunity to everybody in the room, our online community. If you are watching online and you want to receive Jesus as your Lord, your Savior, I'm going to ask you put it in the chat box. One of our pastors will come and help you.

But for those of you in this room, I want you to do one simple thing. I want you to put a hand up. And by putting a hand up, you're saying, "Bill, I don't want to leave the building till I know what it is to have peace with God, till I know what it is to be forgiven."

Put your hand up real quickly if that's you. Right over here. All right. Wonderful. Amen. I'm making a deal with you. Amen. Anyone else? Real real quick. I'll scan scan the crowd one one last time if there's anybody way back over here. Another one. Wonderful. Wonderful. Amen. Anyone else?

Anyone else on this side? All right. I want all of you to stand if you would. This is what I'm going to ask the two of you or there could have been some I missed, but the two of you that raised your hand, if you could hold your places. really this is like the most holy moment of all and uh not having uh distractions is really important right now u for the two of you that raised your hands I'm going to ask you to come right over here to this right over here to this banner there people that we know and trust and they will talk with you and pray with you I'm going to ask ministry team if you also would come to the front and Rory are you going to help me out going to rescue me thank you thank you for thanks >> so powerful yes we just want to take a moment If you raised your hand, come right down here.

Ministry team, please make your way before we dismiss so we can get everybody down here. Can we give it up one more time for Pastor Bill, what an incredible message about Jesus being our resurrection and life. Amen. Amen. Well, today it is a beautiful day in Reading. So, go and enjoy your families.

Uh give somebody a big hug before you leave and just say, "He is risen indeed." Let's celebrate Easter. Amen. Amen. And so we got people right up front here. Uh continue to have our ministry team come forward. Otherwise, be blessed on this incredible Easter Sunday and have a great rest of your day.

If you would like prayer for any of these things uh going on in your life or just man need somebody to partner with you um in something going on, please come forward. We would love to pray for you. We have a a team of people up here that is ready and able to pray.

They will have their hands up. And if you're looking to have somebody pray with you, please. >> Hello. Hello. >> Hello. >> What a resurrection Sunday. >> Fantastic. So good. >> He is risen. You're not going to say it back. >> Uh what am I saying? >> Listen, guys.

I learned this in this beforehand. >> We'll practice again. He is risen. Hooray. What am I missing? >> I don't know. I always learned if you said it, someone would say, "He is risen indeed." Some of you are saying it back to me and you're like, "Brad, >> I'm so sorry. >> I get it.

In South Africa, y'all didn't do it." Huh. >> No, no, no. We're not quite as holy as >> I don't I learned it here. I learned it in the church. Maybe maybe in Ohio I learned it there. >> I prefer my one. Yippee. >> Yippee. Jesus is risen.

Guys, we saw so many of you raise your hand or you said that you wanted to give your life to Jesus. I'm going to have Brad pray for you in just a second. But if you gave your life to Jesus, I know many of you put it in the chat that you were receiving him today.

We are celebrating with you. This is a great day to come into the family of God. Brad, why don't you pray for those who uh just made that decision to actually walk with Jesus. >> That's beautiful. Yeah. If that's you, you uh you're going to pray the most sincere prayer you've ever prayed.

And it's going to be really really simple and powerful, but I'll kind of lead you. And so Lord, I just thank you so much for every person that has given their lives to you, Lord, that they call you not just savior, but Lord. And if you pray that prayer uh and you gave your life, I just want you to say, "Lord Jesus," you can pray this out aloud at home.

Say, "Thank you so much for what you did on the cross." I say, "My sins are no longer my own. They belong to you." Say, "I I agree that you are my savior. And I don't just take it off. Say, Lord Jesus, I welcome you in. And I welcome you in as my Lord.

Change my life. Fix what's broken. restore what's needs what's been removed, heal what's what's been hurt, and I ask for your full life. And if you're sitting there and you sense God close to you, what's really important is to ask for one amazing amazing thing. Say, "Holy Spirit, come and fill me.

Come and fill me." Now, you don't need a track record with God to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You just need to be saved. You need to be bloodwashed. >> Yeah. Come on. So just just dive right in and say, "Holy Spirit, would you fill me with your presence?"

Lord, I just thank you for every person that has given their lives to you, Lord. I thank you, Lord, that this is not just a religious act, Lord, but it's lifealtering, lifechanging, Lord. We just invite your presence to be with them. I ask, Lord, that you would be a light into their path, that you would guide the next step, Lord, that you would you would know they would know what to do next, Lord. that you would guide them, the Holy Spirit that you would be in their lives, that you'd fill their hearts and to from today that you be completely and utterly different. >> Come on. >> In Jesus name. >> In Jesus name.

Amen. What a powerful prayer. Guys, we're going to continue to pray for you. Whether you just came into the kingdom of God, whether you have a prayer request for your body, whether you need something for your life, we'd love to pray. We're actually not going to have ministry teams today.

Our uh volunteers are actually with their families today. And so we have chat hosts on, but uh instead of ministry rooms, Brad and I are going to pray. >> And so I actually saw a prayer request for Carolina um asking for prayer for the healing of your father's lung.

Brad and I were in huddle earlier and one of our friends just came back from a missions trip to Brazil and he was sharing that um they had nodules actually disappear. >> Yeah. Right. Like isn't that crazy? >> Nodules. I've never heard it or even seen it in this >> nodules disappear.

And so even today, God, we just thank you that we've heard the testimony of people who had nodules dissolve and disappear, God. And we just speak that right now over um itar, God, right now that you would do the same thing, God, that we would see nodules disappear in Jesus' name.

I um I'm seeing requests for people's bodies. Sherry, we just bless your body to come into alignment with heaven right now. You know, um I even just see Patty praying for her son to have a love encounter with Jesus. God, we just speak that that you would um you would come after her son right now in Jesus' name.

God, that any addictions would go, God, that you would renew his mind, that you would renew his body and that we would see peace, peace, peace, peace come and fill him body, mind, and spirit in Jesus' name. If you have any other prayer requests, go ahead and keep putting them in here.

Beth, I see you asking for prayer for your hip and your knees to be healed. We just bless your hips. We bless your knees. We saw so many knees get healed last week. I even um released the testimony of the knee healings that we saw last week after service and um we were doing communion on Wednesday night at prayer and um this guy had a shoulder popping issue and he said he had that uh shoulder popping issue for 50 years 50 and he was no longer popping.

His shoulder got healed. So if you're asking for prayer in your shoulders right now, we just bless you. If it's the knees, if if it's the hips, whatever it is. Brad, do you see anyone else to to pray for? >> Yeah. I want to bless Sergeant 211. >> We just we just bless you.

I bless you with the peace of heaven to guard your mind. >> That that's a peace that's beyond understanding. That means that u that you shouldn't have peace, but you do. It's supernatural. I I've got a testimony that this week of someone um that was in the middle of an anxiety attack.

Yeah, >> we began to read Philippians 4 over the man was it's it describes a peace that's beyond understanding and none of the circumstances change but they had peace and we just declare peace over you >> sergeant in Jesus name. >> So good. >> Come on. I saw Ky you're asking for prayer for your marriage protection from long co.

Yeah. We just rebuke long co COVID. If you if you if anyone on uh watching today or watching back whenever it is, if you're experiencing symptoms of long COVID, we just rebuke it right now in Jesus name, we say we bless your body that that fatigue that the um I know sometimes it's like brain fog, memory loss, whatever it is, we just u command that to leave. even the restoration of senses.

If you've been maybe having trouble um smelling things, maybe you haven't had the ability to um even hear as strongly, God, we just bless their senses right now in Jesus name. We just pray for her marriage. We pray for them um uh just a a strengthening and a restoration, God, in their marriage, God.

The the ease and ability to connect and communicate in Jesus name. >> Yeah. And Nicholas lost my job. We just pray what Bill preached that um Abraham went down didn't go down without a sacrifice. He provided a sacrifice that honored God. So we just pray over you Nicholas that God would provide you would show you Jehovah Gyra in a practical way.

Not just in a theological sense in a practical way. We bless you. >> Yeah. Come on. >> Yeah. Come on. >> I know um I saw someone uh Margaret on the Bethl online uh chat. She was asking for um prayer for her brother. Uh just being caught up in like a bit of a worldly lifestyle and um I definitely lived a worldly lifestyle before coming to know Jesus.

Uh more the bar scene was my world. Um, but even just alcohol and and God, I just thank you that you are a rescuer, Jesus, for those who are feeling like they're in the pit, like they can't come against addiction or even that desire or need that gets them from feeling all of the feelings, whether it's hopelessness or pain or whatever it is.

But God, that you're a God that comes near. And I pray even what you did for me, God, where you broke off hopelessness, God, you broke off addiction, that you would do the same for her brother. And I actually feel like it's for many people, siblings or family members who are struggling or or walking in that that worldly lifestyle, God, that you would come and you would rescue, God, that you would bring strength, Jesus, in areas where they feel like they aren't able to manage it on their own, Jesus, that you would break off um even like decadelong addictions right now in Jesus' name. >> Yes, Lord. >> Thank you, God. >> Wow.

So beautiful. You guys are praying for your fellow >> online crew here. Seeing a lot of prayers in the in the chat which is really really cool. I love that. Very very good man. You guys are busy. There's more prayers for other people than prayer needs. >> Come on.

Oh, I even see is it Simon? Simon is praying for gastritis. I had gastritis a long time ago. I had I think I did a a fast. >> I was worried about his head yesterday. >> No, gastritis is painful. God, we just bless Simon's body. um we just speak to gastritis and so get out right now in Jesus name, God, that there would be no more longlasting um effects of gastritis of that stomach lining.

We just speak um healing and alignment, God, that any places where it's been uh destroyed, any places where it's been inflamed, we actually just speak peace in life, God, that there'd be like a a holy recalibration of even the pH balance in their stomach right now in Jesus name. >> Wow.

God is moving. So many of you are praying. If um the Lord is moving in your body, if he's doing something, if if this is relating to you, maybe just throw something in the chat. Let us know what God is doing. Um before we leave today, there just seems like there's such power in prayer.

And so, um let's both pray. I'll pray, you pray. Let's just ble bless the people of God. >> Cassie, take it easy. >> You pray, you pray. I can't pray. Holy >> spirit. Okay. I'd love to bless this wonderful crew. >> Lord, we just thank you, Lord, that you are alive and well.

I thank you, Lord. You are not distant. You are present. And we just command the peace of heaven and the life of heaven to fall to fill every single home. We just declare that every single room would be a a fountain, an oasis of peace in your homes.

I just bless your ch. I'm just reminded of a a test me. But I just bless your children's sleep and your dream life that your kids I'm seeing two little girls and there's a third child. So there's someone three people in the home. There's been a series of nightmares and we just declare peace over homes.

We thank you Lord that there's going to be peaceful sleep in homes this week. >> Come ones. And we just bless you guys to encounter the love of the Lord. That this resurrection Sunday you would be reminded of his sacrifice, what he did, and that we get to live the ascended life.

This is what's available for us today. >> Bethl online, we love you, we bless you, and we pray this in Jesus name. Happy Easter.