Follow The Evidence (Chet Pete)

0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.840 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.320 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:10.680 this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:12.840 Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:13.440 in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:14.800 Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:20.759 Is there anybody that came to lift up the name 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:26.840 of Jesus on Palm Sunday? I'm trying to see where 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:28.880 God's been moving? Has been moving in your life? 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:33.600 Over here? What about right here? Has He been moving 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:37.320 in your life? He's been showing up this week? What 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:38.240 about on this side? 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:42.440 Has God shown up in your life this week? 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:44.760 My God? 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:48.640 Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus up. We haven't met before. My 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:50.880 name is set I'm the pastor at our University City 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:58.160 campus and I I'm so honored to be able to 0:00:58.240 --> 0:01:01.360 preach on Palm Sunday to our church. I want to 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:04.000 take this moment and welcome all of our campuses and 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.200 our e fam all around the world. I want to 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:09.360 give a special shout out to Elevation Winsday Salem just 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:13.679 celebrated their eight year anniversary. God. 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.080 But I want to pray for us since. 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:21.039 I believe that God has a word that he wants 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.840 to speak to you today, he open up your hands 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:26.000 like this a posture, just ready to receive whatever it 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.440 is God wants to speak to you. Jesus, we come 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:31.360 to you saying thank you, Thank you for being a 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:35.840 good God of faithful God. God, we trust you. We 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:37.959 pray right now in the mighty Name of Jesus, that 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:41.080 you would have your way today, you would do what 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:41.800 you want to do. 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:47.640 And God, let us leave this place changed. 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:51.760 Because of your love, changed because of your grace. God, 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:54.680 let our life be evidence that we had an encounter 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:57.880 with you. We love you, Jesus, We thank you, and 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:05.840 it's in the mighty mighty Name of Jesus. Amen Amen, Amen, Amen. Well, 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:09.760 there's two quick things that I need to do before 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:12.639 we open up God's word, if you can remain standing. 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:19.240 First thing is is next Sunday is Easter Sunday, and 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.440 I want to make sure that you have the details. 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.480 On Good Friday, we're actually going to be taking communion 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.600 together as a church, and so Friday at six point 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.880 thirty we have it online and at our campuses as 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:35.960 well as on Sunday we have Easter happening across our 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:39.360 campuses and online. Go to Easter at elevation dot com 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.240 to be able to see all of the details. The 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:44.640 second thing that I have to do is make sure 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:47.960 we take a moment and thank God for our pastors, 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:50.160 Pastor Steven and Holly. 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:56.360 Can we thank God for the gifts now? Now? 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:59.120 If I give you a good gift and you go 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.680 crazy about it, it makes me want to give you more. 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.320 So how good of a gift do we have it 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.760 with the pastors that God has given to us? The 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:16.919 pastor Steven in Holly. As I was preparing to preach today, 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:19.320 I remember the first time that pastor asked me to 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.840 preach to our church, and he came up to me 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:25.960 and he could tell that I was overwhelmed, nervous and 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:31.120 could not understand why he would trust me to be 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.600 able to stand on this stage. And he looked at 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:36.440 me and he said, shaid, I want you to know 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:43.440 I could have anybody come and preach. You know, anybody 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.400 would love to come and have a moment to be 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:48.080 a part of this move of God. 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:52.120 But I chose you, and I believe in you. 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.280 I'm grateful for to have a pastor that believes in me. 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:02.600 And so if my past called me and gave me 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:04.360 this opportunity, he believes in me. 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:09.560 And I know God gave me a word. I'm ready. 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.360 I'm ready to preach. Now, are you ready to hear 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:16.760 a word? Okay, we're gonna be. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.440 In John chapter twenty, starting at verse one, you'll see 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.960 the scriptures on the screens. Here's what it says. John 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:29.120 Chapter twenty, Verse one. It says, early on the first 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.840 day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.960 Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:41.720 had been removed from the entrance. So she came running 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:46.640 to Simon, Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:54.640 Just to notate John is writing this about himself, okay, 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:56.039 And this. 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:57.000 Is what she says. 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.920 She says, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.680 and we don't know where they have put him. 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:06.120 So Peter and the. 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:09.599 Other disciple, the one that Jesus loved, they started running 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:10.120 for the tomb. 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:11.000 Watch this. 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:15.120 Both were running, but the other disciple out ran Peter. 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.440 So not only is John saying I'm the one that 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:20.839 Jesus loves, he wanted you to know that I'm faster 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:21.320 than Peter. 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:26.799 Peter reached the tomb. 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.120 Both were running in the other disciple out ran Peter 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:33.920 and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:39.279 in at the tomb the strips of linen lying there, 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:44.400 but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:47.240 behind him and went straight into the tomb. 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:49.920 He saw the strips of linen. 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:52.840 Lying there, as well as a cloth that had been 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.560 wrapped around Jesus's head. The cloth was still lying in 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:01.720 its place, separate from the linen. Finally, the other disciple, 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:07.760 who had reached the tombe first, also with inside he 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:13.919 saw and believed. The title of my message today is 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:15.680 follow the evidence. 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:17.960 Follow the evidence. 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:20.400 On your way to your see introduce yourself to your 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:25.320 neighbor and tell him hello, my name, and then say 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:26.920 I'm the one that Jesus loves. 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:41.320 Oh he loves you too. Someone's like, oh he loves 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:42.640 you too. 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:49.240 To start my message, I have a little illustration just 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:52.359 to be able to set the direction for this message. 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.120 You know, you know you have John, you know making 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:57.800 these these claims. I'm the one that Jesus loves. And 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.840 then he says, I'm faster than Peter and back then 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:02.000 we didn't have cell phones. 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:02.960 Oh there's my mic. 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:14.720 Go ahead and I need some help. Here we go, 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:18.160 Thank you, Give God praise for our teams. You're gonna 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:19.280 take it off. We go and take it off. 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:24.120 You're good. So you have these let me give them 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:27.160 a second and give them a second. 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:32.280 Uh, give God, praise for m give God phrase form. 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:33.720 Okay. 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:37.840 So you have these outlandish claims that people make sometimes 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:41.280 and uh, you're like, again, there's no video, you know, 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:43.800 for us to go back and see that that John 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:47.280 actually beat Peter in a race, and so he's not 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:49.640 here to defend himself, and so you have these moments 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.400 where you're like, hey, show me, show me the evidence. Well, 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:57.160 this week I got inspired by the masters that that 0:07:57.160 --> 0:07:59.840 that's been on any any golfers in the room, or that's. 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:00.280 Been keeping up. 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.360 Okay, okay, okay, okay. Where you're gonna you're gonna like this. 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.880 You're gonna like this, shut up. Here is a video 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.960 of me making a putt on a whole eighteen four 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.880 par and uh, you know, we were playing best ball, 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:17.080 so it was a big, big big deal. Go ahead 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:18.520 and put it up on the screens, just really quick 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:19.960 We're gonna have to show it, probably twice so you 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:20.360 can see it. 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:21.720 Go ahead, put it up. Put it up. 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.160 Now, the golfers, you can see you're paying attention that 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.400 there was a little slim. I had to curve it 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.200 a little bit. Playing one more time. This is just 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:36.560 playing one more time, one more time, one more time, 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:38.280 one more time. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.280 Y'all didn't know I could preach the gospel and play golf. 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:57.800 You didn't. You didn't. You didn't know. Let me let me, 0:08:57.920 --> 0:08:59.560 let me, let me be honest with you. 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:05.000 This was actually the first and last time that I've 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:12.960 ever played golf. The clothes that I had on all 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.800 were purchased forty eight hours before tea tan the hat, 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.920 the polo, the pants, and the golf shoes. The only 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:23.520 thing that we know for sure is that I came 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:27.760 home smelling like I had been outside, like the grass 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.000 was was permeating our house. 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.880 The clubs that I used were borrowed. 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:39.240 There's something else we read about in the text that 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.600 was borrowed. Who knows that Jesus was put into a 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:45.720 borrow tone. You see, that's evidence that he was going 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:48.200 to be raised from the dead. Because he made the 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:50.360 decision to borrow the tone because he wasn't gonna stay 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:54.040 there bury long. Is anybody came to have church on 0:09:54.080 --> 0:10:02.920 a Sunday morning. So you started to look at this 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.199 video and some of you were like, oh, I can see. 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:05.800 He could play golf. 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:11.600 But that was compelling evidence of my golfing ability, but 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:17.520 it wasn't conclusive. There's a difference. When I say follow 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:22.280 the evidence. All of us are following something. You know, 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.520 you can scroll on social media. You had a lot 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.640 of people and things that you're following. But today God 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:29.360 told me to tell you that you need to make 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.440 sure you're not just following compelling evidence, but you're following 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:34.280 conclusive evidence. 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:36.720 You know. 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:38.840 All you know is is I went out and play. 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:43.520 That was one of two good hits the whole eighteen. 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:46.920 They were so excited because I finally did. 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:50.960 Something good and y'all are here ready to sign me 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:52.080 up for the Masters. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:57.240 I wonder in your life, what compelling evidence is leading 0:10:57.280 --> 0:11:02.400 you to tell a story that's that's not true. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:04.200 I have some examples for you. 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:07.840 I was thinking that, you know, many of us battle 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:10.280 and struggle with comparison. 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:13.319 That will watch others and we'll. 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.680 Scroll on social media and God, give me a quick 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:17.360 I'm gonna give you something to write down very fast. 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:20.960 Comparison is when you collect. 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.480 Evidence of someone else's life to tell a story about 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:26.400 your own life. 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:27.839 I'm gonna say that one more time. 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:33.480 Comparison is when you collect evidence about someone else's life 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:37.320 to tell a story about your own life. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:42.320 And so you'll do things like this. You just got 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:42.720 a job. 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.559 You've been working it for six months and you love it. 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:48.240 You get up every morning you go, you thank God 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.199 for that. You were praying for this job. And then 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:55.000 all of a sudden, somebody on your team gets an 0:11:55.000 --> 0:12:00.640 opportunity or gets promoted, and all of a sudden start. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:06.400 Do they see me? The organization must. 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:10.720 Not value me any more. You don't know the details. 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:12.920 It might have even been a lateral move. You don't 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:13.880 see their paycheck. 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:16.000 But you have. 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:20.160 Gathered collected evidence from someone else's life to tell a 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:24.880 story about your own. There's a wife that just this week, 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:28.520 you were scrolling on social media and you saw someone 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:32.760 else's husband sent their wife some flowers and they posted 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:33.200 about it. 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:34.839 Look at what my book got mean? 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:39.959 You and your husband, y'all been having a good time, 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:41.280 been going on dates. 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:42.680 Husband's working hard. 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:48.800 Everything's been good, but one story got you mad. Husband 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:51.000 comes home and he's like, hey, what's up baby? You 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:52.000 rolling your eyes? 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.840 What's going on? I thought everything was okay. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.560 Well he bought his wife some flowers. Why won't we 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:07.000 buy me some flowers? You don't even like flowers. I 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:08.680 just want to thank God for my wife. My wife 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.679 don't like flowers. She says, chocolate is her love language. 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:17.079 Bring me a double fudged chocolate cake. The flowers will die. 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:22.960 Bring me something that will satisfy my sweet to show 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.040 up with some re season, some kit cats. 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.840 I'm telling my wife, thank you, baby. 0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:35.959 But you mad because you allowed yourself to collect evidence 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:41.280 from someone else's life to tell a story about your own. 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:44.760 Even when we start to look at a palm Sunday, 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:49.319 we look at palm Sunday and you have Jesus riding 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.600 into Jerusalem on a donkey, and you. 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:54.280 See all of these people applauding. 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:57.319 You see they were there because they just heard about 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:01.839 about Jesus raising Lazarus from the day, so they started to. 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.160 Follow him and they're celebrating him. They're like o Zenna. 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:09.840 They're waving these palm branches but where were those people 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.920 when they begin to yell crucify him? 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:15.200 Where did they go? 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:20.840 It led me to believe that that maybe maybe people's 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:26.280 praise and celebration isn't conclusive evidence of their heart and 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:27.320 how good of a. 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:28.120 Friend they will be. 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:30.560 I want to know if you're gonna show up when 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:32.600 all hell breaks loof in my life. 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:33.520 I want to know if you're. 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:35.840 Gonna show up when I'm struggling, when I lost the 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.640 job and I can't sleep and it's keeping me up 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:44.000 all night. I want to know that's more conclusive of 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:47.800 the type of friend you want in your life. You 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:52.280 see Palm Sunday them celebrating Jesus. It wasn't conclusive evidence 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:53.880 about their hearts. 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:58.880 What it was was Jesus fulfilling a prophecy. That's what 0:14:58.960 --> 0:14:59.280 it was. 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:04.640 For many of you have come today and the prayer 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:06.800 that was on your heart was I need some proof. 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:11.280 I need some proof that God is real. I need 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.800 some proof that he hadn't forgot about me. I need 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:18.280 some proof. I need some evidence today and you've been 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.040 scrolling on social media and some people have started. 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.080 To build a TikTok and instagram. 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:26.800 Theology about the church, about the Bride of Christ. But 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.080 have you shown up to one of our campuses. 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.280 Have you showed up to a pop up? 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:34.600 Have you showed up and seen people give hugs the people. 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:36.680 That desperately needed to be encouraged. 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:38.800 Have you showed up and checked your kids and the 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:43.080 kids and had them teach you about Jesus. Can we 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.480 take a moment and thank God for the Bride of Christ. 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:47.960 I love my church. 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:52.840 I'm not saying we're perfect, but my church is praying. 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:56.480 For some people. My church is serving in some people's lives. 0:15:56.560 --> 0:16:00.880 My church shows up when disaster strikes. Don't let what 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:02.600 Instagram told you fool you. 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:03.720 The church is. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:14.320 Alive, God is moving, peace, faithful, Thank you Lord. So 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:19.160 let's get back to the text. What true my attention 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:24.080 was is that you see Mary share this story. She 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:27.960 says to the disciples. She says, they took my savior 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:29.640 and I don't know where he is. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.800 They took my savior and we don't know where he is. 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:38.920 We wouldn't be here today if that was true. We 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.720 didn't come to worship, but did God. We came to 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:47.280 lift up a risen savior. So I was like, why 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.400 would she go and tell this story? Without gathering evidence 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:54.080 to corroborate her story. 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:57.400 And there was two mistakes. 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:02.640 There's two mistakes, two mistakes that we see Mary makes 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:03.520 in this text. 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:06.840 Go to verse one, Verse one, verse one. Watch this. 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.960 It says, early on the first day of the week, 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:18.000 while it was still dark, that spoke to me. Write 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.600 this down. Beware of the evidence you find in the dark. 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:30.960 You see, it wasn't just dark because the. 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:32.280 Sun hadn't came up yet. 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.280 It wasn't just dark outside, it was dark inside. 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:41.000 Remember, they just lost their friend. They just saw. 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:43.960 Jesus brutally beaten and hung up on a cross. 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:46.560 They're grieving. 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:50.560 God gave me this point for somebody who walked in 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.000 today and the sun still hadn't came up yet. 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:56.120 I don't know what. 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:58.800 You're walking through today, but God told me to tell you, 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:04.359 beware of the evidence you find in the dark. You 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:07.200 can't see well when the lights. 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:07.639 Aren't turned on. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:11.920 There's some evidence that will start to misconstrue the story 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:17.000 that God is trying to bring together. Just about six 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.840 weeks ago, my oldest son I twin boys. When I 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:25.840 say oldest, he's oldest by six six minutes. He wants 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:29.080 me everybody to know I'm the oldest. I'm the oldest. 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.280 I'm the oldest. I can corroborate his story if he 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:33.240 tells you the oldest, he's the oldest. 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:33.520 Twin. 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:39.159 He was in gym playing and got pushed too hard 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.119 playing around and he fell into his shoulder and broke 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:48.679 his collar bone. And my son's they played basketball, they're athletes, 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.240 and you know, a couple of days in I started 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:53.359 to look at my son's eyes and I could tell 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:55.879 that the enemy was trying to use this to dim 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:59.199 his light. He was trying to use this. He was 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:01.040 trying to use this to me can think that that 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.920 maybe I'm gonna fall behind and I'm not gonna be 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:07.320 good enough to be able to play again, or the 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.720 pain of what he was feeling that it was becoming 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.560 so much. There's things that he wants to do he 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:14.359 can't do. We went on a spring break trip and 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.000 he can't get out into the ocean, and he said 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:20.040 saying it was starting to get darkened. I'm trying my 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:22.560 best to encourage him, like, hey, son's son, It's okay 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:24.919 for you to be mad, it's okay for you to 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:28.199 be frustrated, hey, but but I want you to know 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:31.280 that God's hand is on your life, that God could 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:35.000 use this too. There's still hope. There's still hope. They're 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:37.280 still Let's not listen to that voice that's telling you 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:37.840 that it's over. 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.040 Let's not listen to that voice that's telling you. 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.720 I'm using my son as an example for God to 0:19:42.760 --> 0:19:44.520 speak to you about yours. 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.040 How about this. Don't let what's broken blind you. 0:19:51.600 --> 0:19:53.320 I don't I don't know what it is in your life, 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.879 but don't let what's broken blind you. We went to 0:19:56.920 --> 0:20:00.800 the doctor, and our doctor that's taken care of my son, 0:20:01.040 --> 0:20:04.880 he comes to the church and he's encouraging my son. 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:06.920 And when we're getting done, he looks at my son 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:08.439 and he starts to tell him. He said, God can 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:10.879 use this too. He was trying to let him know. 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:11.240 He said. 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:13.760 He told my son and he said, most athletes that 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:17.119 actually make it to the college level, they gained the 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:20.080 mental toughness to be able to do what they do 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:24.639 because they made it through that obstacle. They came over 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:28.240 an injury. And at the end of his speak, he 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:29.120 put his hand on my side. 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:33.000 He said, would you, magnif I prayed for you. See, 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:34.240 he's ministering to my son. 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:36.040 But he didn't know that he was ministering to me 0:20:36.119 --> 0:20:39.119 in that moment because I was praying, I don't know 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:40.640 anything about broken bones. 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:41.199 I don't know. 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:43.600 I'm like God, I need you to do something. And 0:20:43.960 --> 0:20:46.080 it was a moment for God to just start to 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:49.560 turn the lights on. Now here's the next thing that 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:54.280 that Mary did wrong, It says verse two, verse two. 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:58.280 So she came running to Simon, Peter and the other disciple, 0:20:58.800 --> 0:20:59.960 I know, the one that Jesus loved. 0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:08.320 Come on, John, did you catch it? She didn't go in. 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:13.719 Beware of the evidence you find in the dark, and 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:18.879 beware of the evidence you find at a distance. She 0:21:19.880 --> 0:21:23.520 didn't even go into the tube. She saw that the 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:27.840 stone was rolled away, immediately ran back and told the 0:21:27.880 --> 0:21:31.280 disciples they've taken Jesus and we. 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.399 Don't know where they put him. And she didn't even 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:34.920 go in. 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:39.760 You see, when my son broke his collar bone, you know, 0:21:39.800 --> 0:21:42.280 he was hurting at the school and the nurse calls 0:21:42.280 --> 0:21:45.520 and she says, hey, listen, he's in pain. We tried 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:47.840 to give it a few minutes, but I think you're 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:49.879 gonna need to take him into the doctor to be 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:54.080 able to see what actually's going on? What has been 0:21:54.119 --> 0:22:00.680 misdiagnosed in your life because the evidence that you you gathered, 0:22:00.760 --> 0:22:02.000 you gathered. 0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:02.719 At a distance. 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:06.800 You didn't get close enough to see exactly what was 0:22:06.840 --> 0:22:11.240 going on. You're calling things that God has blessed, you're 0:22:11.240 --> 0:22:16.760 calling them broken. This might be somebody you just now 0:22:16.800 --> 0:22:20.200 are going through a breakup and you walked in heartbroken today. 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:22.200 God told me to tell you stop for a moment, 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:25.480 just to tell you that's a blessing. He wasn't the 0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:29.120 one you just dodged the bullet. I don't know who 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:35.399 that is for. That's not in my notes. But then 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:37.440 there's somebody else in here that's like, hey, you've had 0:22:37.480 --> 0:22:40.520 your eye on a girl since you came in, and 0:22:40.560 --> 0:22:42.920 you've been watching, and here's the story you're telling you. 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:45.320 You're at a distance, and you're like, there's no way, 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:49.520 there's no way. She talked to someone like me. There's 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:52.560 no way, there's no way, there's no way. And she's sitting, 0:22:52.640 --> 0:22:55.480 she's sitting, She's beautiful, but she's sitting. She's like, there's 0:22:55.520 --> 0:23:01.800 no way. Then anybody will love me. Hey, hey, hey, hey, 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:07.119 young man, you'll never know if you don't go on 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:10.160 in and have a conversation. 0:23:12.560 --> 0:23:13.320 You'll never know. 0:23:13.760 --> 0:23:16.760 You'll never know if you'll get the job you called yourself. 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:19.480 You're standing at a distance. I'm not qualified for that job. 0:23:19.680 --> 0:23:27.679 Put the application in. Put the application in. I wonder 0:23:27.680 --> 0:23:29.520 how much pain my son would have been in if 0:23:29.560 --> 0:23:33.120 we wouldn't have gone into the doctor to actually get 0:23:33.119 --> 0:23:38.080 an accurate diagnosis of what's going on. Beware of the 0:23:38.119 --> 0:23:41.760 evidence you find in the dark. Beware of the evidence 0:23:41.800 --> 0:23:45.520 you find at a distance. I thank god, I thank 0:23:45.600 --> 0:23:50.000 god that Peter and John that they they didn't just 0:23:50.960 --> 0:23:54.439 stare at the tomb that was rolled over, the stone 0:23:54.480 --> 0:23:57.720 that was rolled away, but they actually got closer to investigate. 0:23:59.119 --> 0:24:00.480 And so here's what I want want to do. Here's 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:02.840 what I'm doing. I need somebody that has a Bible. 0:24:02.880 --> 0:24:05.280 Somebody has a Bible. There you go, Okay, the John 0:24:05.320 --> 0:24:09.040 chapter twenty, John chapter twenty, what's the title of this section? 0:24:09.080 --> 0:24:10.879 When you go to John chapter twenty, what's the title? 0:24:12.200 --> 0:24:16.680 It says? The empty tomb, says the empty tomb? Right now. 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:19.879 Our pastor has taught us that a lot of times 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:22.120 we don't realize that these titles and things they were 0:24:22.160 --> 0:24:26.119 put on after the scriptures were written. And as I 0:24:26.160 --> 0:24:28.840 was reading. God blessed me because I realized that that 0:24:29.000 --> 0:24:35.480 just wasn't true. Jesus did rise from the dead, but 0:24:35.560 --> 0:24:40.359 that tune wasn't empty. 0:24:40.480 --> 0:24:42.960 The tune wasn't empty. It was full of evidence. 0:24:50.280 --> 0:24:51.760 And so what I want to do is I want 0:24:51.800 --> 0:24:53.399 to I want to preach for the rest of my 0:24:53.480 --> 0:24:55.879 time to be able to show you what was left 0:24:56.280 --> 0:24:56.760 in that. 0:24:56.680 --> 0:25:00.600 Tomb that we can follow. I believe it be compelling. 0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:02.959 I believe that you'll get to the point we have 0:25:03.000 --> 0:25:07.120 conclusive evidence that God hadn't forgot about you, that you're 0:25:07.119 --> 0:25:10.120 not alone in this, that God has been with you. 0:25:11.320 --> 0:25:15.440 And so let's let's let's get into it. So let's 0:25:15.520 --> 0:25:17.080 go to verse Let's go to verse three. 0:25:17.960 --> 0:25:22.160 So so Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 0:25:23.200 --> 0:25:27.080 Both were running, and John was faster. Okay, we got 0:25:27.080 --> 0:25:27.480 it John. 0:25:28.760 --> 0:25:31.480 Verse five. John gets there. 0:25:32.200 --> 0:25:36.040 He doesn't go in, but he bends over and he 0:25:36.119 --> 0:25:38.360 looks in and he sees the strips of linen lying there. 0:25:39.600 --> 0:25:41.920 And and then at verse six, Simon Peter came along 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:44.280 behind him. He went straight into the tomb, and he 0:25:44.359 --> 0:25:46.280 saw the strips of linen, and. 0:25:46.160 --> 0:25:47.119 He sees this cloth. 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:51.679 Okay, So, so Mary didn't go in, but what she 0:25:51.800 --> 0:25:55.439 sees is that the stone had been rolled away. So 0:25:55.680 --> 0:25:57.800 here I want to give you exhibit A exhibit A 0:25:57.840 --> 0:25:58.440 put up on a streen. 0:25:58.480 --> 0:26:00.159 This is the stone. 0:26:00.280 --> 0:26:02.360 This would have This would have been what a Jewish 0:26:02.400 --> 0:26:06.399 tomb would have looked like where Jesus would have been buried. 0:26:07.640 --> 0:26:09.800 They having a side of a mountain. They've they've carved 0:26:09.800 --> 0:26:12.560 out this hole and they would place bodies in there 0:26:12.560 --> 0:26:16.320 after they've been wrapped in this this stone that's rolled away, 0:26:17.840 --> 0:26:19.040 it weighs over a ton. 0:26:20.440 --> 0:26:22.120 It would have taken it would have taken. 0:26:21.880 --> 0:26:24.879 About four to five men to be able to roll 0:26:25.359 --> 0:26:27.560 this stone in and out of place. 0:26:28.840 --> 0:26:32.359 And so I put my you know, my detective. 0:26:31.920 --> 0:26:35.160 Jacket on today and I said, if I was there 0:26:35.200 --> 0:26:36.679 and I had to question it, who did it? 0:26:36.760 --> 0:26:39.400 Who rolled the stone away? You know what I did. 0:26:39.720 --> 0:26:44.680 I would have started dusting for fingerprints. I just start 0:26:44.760 --> 0:26:48.840 dusting for fingerprints. Who did it? Who rolled this stone away? 0:26:49.280 --> 0:26:51.200 I'd been dusting it and I'd have saw some of 0:26:51.240 --> 0:26:53.120 the men that rolled it in and out of place. 0:26:53.160 --> 0:26:54.919 I saw these these men, and then I would have 0:26:54.920 --> 0:26:58.960 started to uncover some fingerprints that looked a little different. 0:26:59.400 --> 0:27:00.560 That that's stood out. 0:27:00.640 --> 0:27:03.439 They were different than anything else that I'd seen before. 0:27:04.280 --> 0:27:08.840 And then you know, John doesn't show us who rolled 0:27:08.840 --> 0:27:11.400 the stone away, but when you go to Matthew. 0:27:11.119 --> 0:27:11.920 You see who does. 0:27:12.440 --> 0:27:15.080 Go to Matthew, Chapter twenty eight, verse two, here's what 0:27:15.119 --> 0:27:18.240 it says. It says there were a violent earthquake, for 0:27:18.359 --> 0:27:21.160 the Angel of the Lord came down from heaven and 0:27:21.240 --> 0:27:23.880 going to the tomb, rolled back. 0:27:23.760 --> 0:27:25.560 The stone and set on it. 0:27:28.040 --> 0:27:29.800 What I'm trying to show you is, as I begin 0:27:29.880 --> 0:27:33.600 to dust for fingerprints, I start to see that there's 0:27:33.640 --> 0:27:35.200 some fingerprints that don't look human. 0:27:38.720 --> 0:27:39.679 I start to see that. 0:27:41.280 --> 0:27:44.960 This stone could have only been rolled away by someone's 0:27:45.000 --> 0:27:49.520 hand that came down from heaven. What I'm slowing down 0:27:49.520 --> 0:27:52.080 to say is sometimes you gotta dust for fingerprints in 0:27:52.080 --> 0:27:57.320 your life and see God's hand was on this. Is 0:27:57.359 --> 0:28:00.399 there anybody here today that has stones that had been 0:28:00.480 --> 0:28:02.960 rolled away that you could say it was no way 0:28:03.000 --> 0:28:05.960 that that could have happened if it wasn't for the 0:28:06.040 --> 0:28:06.879 hand of God. 0:28:09.760 --> 0:28:10.960 Hey, I'm about to get happy. 0:28:10.960 --> 0:28:13.440 Can you have church with me for a second. As 0:28:13.480 --> 0:28:15.919 I look back over my life, I see times that 0:28:16.200 --> 0:28:18.240 I went to the doctor and he told me one thing. 0:28:18.320 --> 0:28:20.320 I came back, they said something different. 0:28:20.760 --> 0:28:25.120 It was the hand of God that was on my life. 0:28:25.840 --> 0:28:28.199 Some of you, when you go to your car and 0:28:28.240 --> 0:28:31.159 you were wondering how you were gonna get transportation, dust 0:28:31.160 --> 0:28:32.160 it for fingerprints. 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:34.440 God open up the door for you to get that. 0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:37.600 When you walk into your house and you. 0:28:37.440 --> 0:28:40.760 Start dusting around, you ever see somebody praising God like this. 0:28:44.480 --> 0:28:46.120 God told me to tell you when you start doing 0:28:46.120 --> 0:28:46.560 like this. 0:28:46.400 --> 0:28:49.520 This is, I'm just dusting for fingerprints over my life. 0:28:50.200 --> 0:28:53.760 I'm just dusting for fingerprints. Maybe they're shouting at University City. 0:28:54.080 --> 0:28:57.360 Maybe they're excited at University City because God showed. 0:28:57.160 --> 0:28:59.920 Up for you. 0:28:57.480 --> 0:29:01.240 You didn't do it by yourself. 0:29:01.240 --> 0:29:02.320 You weren't smart. 0:29:02.080 --> 0:29:10.920 Enough to make that happen. Some of you, next week, 0:29:10.960 --> 0:29:16.240 this is you'll see the v dusting for fingerprints to 0:29:16.280 --> 0:29:19.360 see that God showed up. Not only do we see 0:29:19.360 --> 0:29:22.360 the stone that's moved, but then we walk in and 0:29:22.400 --> 0:29:26.320 we see that there's strips of linen lying there. It 0:29:26.320 --> 0:29:35.640 would have looked something like this. These were Jesus's grave clothes. 0:29:36.760 --> 0:29:43.080 These strips of linen was wrapped around Jesus's body. Can 0:29:43.120 --> 0:29:47.720 you imagine leaning and looking and seeing the dried bloodstains. 0:29:52.320 --> 0:29:54.640 What was crimson red is now turned brown. 0:29:54.720 --> 0:29:58.400 As you look at these strips of linen that were 0:29:58.400 --> 0:30:02.560 wrapped around my saviors by that was broken and bruised, 0:30:05.000 --> 0:30:10.440 you see the stone. It tells a story of God's power. 0:30:11.840 --> 0:30:15.080 The strips of lenin they tell the story of God's pain, 0:30:16.400 --> 0:30:21.760 the pain that Jesus went through for you, the pain that. 0:30:21.760 --> 0:30:24.480 Jesus went through for you. You needed evidence. 0:30:24.560 --> 0:30:32.240 Look at the strips of linen you might have walked 0:30:32.240 --> 0:30:35.000 in today and the evidence you need. You're like, I'm 0:30:35.040 --> 0:30:39.360 not valuable. You may be even considered taking your own life. 0:30:41.320 --> 0:30:44.320 The strips of linen. It shows me God's pain, but 0:30:44.400 --> 0:30:47.680 it reveals my purpose. It lets me know that I 0:30:47.720 --> 0:30:51.400 have value. It lets me know, It lets me know, 0:30:51.520 --> 0:30:54.800 no matter what compelling evidence the world tries to throw 0:30:54.800 --> 0:30:58.480 in my face, that Jesus loved me so much, he 0:30:58.600 --> 0:31:04.960 died for me. Why would I walk around being shackled 0:31:05.000 --> 0:31:06.920 and changed when Jesus paid. 0:31:06.680 --> 0:31:10.520 For my freedom? Why would I be walking around. 0:31:13.160 --> 0:31:16.200 In desperate need of hope and desperate need of peace. 0:31:16.560 --> 0:31:20.120 He died for you, He died for you. 0:31:21.680 --> 0:31:23.800 He took on the pain so you didn't have to. 0:31:25.480 --> 0:31:29.400 When I see the strips of linen. It reminds me 0:31:29.720 --> 0:31:32.680 the pain that he went through. Lets me know that 0:31:32.960 --> 0:31:37.520 my life has purpose. So you have the stone that's 0:31:37.600 --> 0:31:43.320 rolled away, shows this evidence of God's power, tells a story. 0:31:43.920 --> 0:31:47.760 You see the strips of linen lying there with the 0:31:47.880 --> 0:31:52.880 dried bloodstains, reminding us of Jesus. 0:31:52.560 --> 0:31:53.200 Dying for us. 0:31:54.480 --> 0:31:59.040 But then says that there's this cloth, it'll looks something 0:31:59.120 --> 0:32:02.520 like this, and it was. When you read it, it 0:32:02.520 --> 0:32:05.320 gives detail. It shows that it was separate from the linen. 0:32:06.440 --> 0:32:08.760 And when you start to look at the way that 0:32:08.760 --> 0:32:09.320 it was written, it. 0:32:09.360 --> 0:32:14.000 Actually was folded so less of a closet. 0:32:14.040 --> 0:32:17.240 Really was like a napkin folded left there for them 0:32:17.280 --> 0:32:22.040 to find. And I begin to study. I was like, God, 0:32:22.080 --> 0:32:26.520 what is the story that the napkin tells? And this 0:32:26.600 --> 0:32:27.080 blessed me. 0:32:27.280 --> 0:32:30.280 I hope it blesses you. 0:32:28.280 --> 0:32:33.680 You see in Jewish culture, if they were having a 0:32:33.720 --> 0:32:39.640 banquet and and the master sitting at the table, everybody's joyful, 0:32:39.680 --> 0:32:43.320 they're having a good time, and he's eating. When he's done, 0:32:43.480 --> 0:32:46.200 he'll ball up his napkin and he will place it 0:32:46.280 --> 0:32:48.440 on his plate, and he excused himself of the table. 0:32:49.440 --> 0:32:50.960 When the napkins balled up. 0:32:51.080 --> 0:33:07.720 It'll let the servants know that the master's done. But 0:33:07.840 --> 0:33:13.000 if the Master takes time to fold the napkin, he's 0:33:13.120 --> 0:33:17.800 letting you know I'm coming back. He's letting you know 0:33:17.960 --> 0:33:19.760 I'm not done. 0:33:19.920 --> 0:33:21.720 He's letting you know I'm not finished. 0:33:23.240 --> 0:33:25.880 I don't know what problem you face, but my God 0:33:25.920 --> 0:33:26.680 has a plan. 0:33:27.840 --> 0:33:30.760 He's coming back to save you. He's coming back to 0:33:30.800 --> 0:33:33.280 heal you. He's coming back to provide for you. 0:33:35.280 --> 0:33:38.120 The folded napkin lets me know that my God has 0:33:38.160 --> 0:33:42.080 a plan. I know we're trying to figure some things out, 0:33:42.120 --> 0:33:45.040 but my God has a plan. I know we're watching 0:33:45.080 --> 0:33:46.960 the stock market, like what are we gonna do? 0:33:47.200 --> 0:33:50.400 My God has a plan. I God. 0:33:50.480 --> 0:33:52.800 Tap your neighbor, tell him, God has a plan. My 0:33:52.880 --> 0:33:57.240 God has a plan. The napkin was folded. The napkin 0:33:57.360 --> 0:34:00.200 was folded. My King is coming back. He's not done. 0:34:01.080 --> 0:34:06.760 He's not done. He's not done. Thank you Jesus. But 0:34:06.840 --> 0:34:11.240 as I continued to read, I thought all was done. 0:34:11.320 --> 0:34:16.000 I was like, I got three points. Let's shut it down, 0:34:17.640 --> 0:34:22.399 let's go home. The God gave me one more piece 0:34:22.440 --> 0:34:25.960 of evidence left in this tomb that tells a story. 0:34:27.440 --> 0:34:30.319 So Remember Mary doesn't even go all the way in, 0:34:31.120 --> 0:34:33.520 but she sees the. 0:34:32.680 --> 0:34:36.399 The stone was rolled away. You got John, who gets 0:34:36.440 --> 0:34:38.000 the edge of the whom looks in. He sees the 0:34:38.000 --> 0:34:41.719 strips of linen. Then you got Peter. He goes all 0:34:41.719 --> 0:34:43.160 the way in and he sees the. 0:34:43.080 --> 0:34:44.640 Cloth lying there. 0:34:46.120 --> 0:34:50.759 Now, remember the reason why there was a crowd when 0:34:50.840 --> 0:34:55.480 Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on the donkey was because 0:34:55.520 --> 0:34:58.360 he had just healed Lazar, or raised Lazarus from the dead. 0:34:59.160 --> 0:35:02.240 That's why they showed up up. They were blown away 0:35:02.280 --> 0:35:06.640 by this miracle. And I went back and I just 0:35:06.680 --> 0:35:11.160 began to study his resurrection, and there was one thing 0:35:11.239 --> 0:35:17.759 that stood out to me. Let's go to John John 0:35:17.840 --> 0:35:23.200 chapter eleven, verse thirty nine. This is when Jesus is 0:35:23.239 --> 0:35:26.319 about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Pay attention to this. 0:35:26.400 --> 0:35:31.440 It says, take away the stone. He said, that's Jesus talking. 0:35:32.280 --> 0:35:35.359 But then listen to what Martha says to him. But 0:35:35.520 --> 0:35:39.600 Lord said, Martha, the sister of the dead man, this 0:35:39.680 --> 0:35:46.720 is Lazarus sister. By this time, there is a bad odor, 0:35:47.440 --> 0:35:52.680 for he's been in there three days. His body had 0:35:52.880 --> 0:35:57.279 had to start decaying. Get ready, because when we roll 0:35:57.360 --> 0:36:00.960 this stone away, there's gonna be a smell that comes 0:36:00.960 --> 0:36:04.880 out from a riting and decaying body. I went to 0:36:05.000 --> 0:36:08.120 Matthew and I read about the resurrection of Jesus. I 0:36:08.160 --> 0:36:10.840 went to Mark and I read about the resurrection of Jesus. 0:36:11.440 --> 0:36:11.960 I went. 0:36:14.440 --> 0:36:16.640 I went to Luke and I read about the resurrection 0:36:16.719 --> 0:36:19.799 of Jesus. And I got to John. Not in any 0:36:19.880 --> 0:36:23.680 one of the four gospels does anybody talk about a 0:36:23.840 --> 0:36:29.400 smell coming from my savior soon. You ever had somebody 0:36:29.440 --> 0:36:32.480 say to you, hey, I went through the fire, but 0:36:32.480 --> 0:36:36.120 I don't smell like smoke. Jesus went to the tomb 0:36:36.160 --> 0:36:37.920 and didn't come out smelling like death. 0:36:39.680 --> 0:36:41.080 What I'm trying to tell. 0:36:40.880 --> 0:36:46.080 You is is that the smell tells a story. That 0:36:46.200 --> 0:36:50.640 even the smell is evidence. You know what it tells me. 0:36:51.280 --> 0:36:57.279 It tells me a story of God's protection. That what 0:36:57.520 --> 0:37:01.879 you are going through, you have been through, doesn't have 0:37:01.960 --> 0:37:08.640 to define you. I come to declare today that for 0:37:08.719 --> 0:37:11.400 some of years I was preaching about God moving stones. 0:37:12.160 --> 0:37:14.799 The enemy was whispering her year, but he didn't move 0:37:14.800 --> 0:37:23.080 that one for you. Yeah, I still I lost my job, 0:37:23.080 --> 0:37:27.040 and I'm still trying to pick up the pieces. I'm 0:37:27.080 --> 0:37:30.360 still waiting on God to I can't find the fingerprints 0:37:30.440 --> 0:37:31.720 on this one. 0:37:31.960 --> 0:37:36.719 The smell lets me know that what you what you're 0:37:36.719 --> 0:37:37.920 going through, what you've been. 0:37:37.800 --> 0:37:43.120 Through, that it won't define you, That that your life 0:37:43.160 --> 0:37:44.440 won't be defined. 0:37:44.040 --> 0:37:49.080 By bitterness, shame, anger. 0:37:51.960 --> 0:37:54.319 My Bible tells me that not only does God go 0:37:54.640 --> 0:37:56.400 with me, he's gone before me. 0:37:58.600 --> 0:37:59.480 He's gone before me. 0:37:59.760 --> 0:38:02.680 I'm mentioned earlier that the only conclusive evidence about my 0:38:02.719 --> 0:38:07.040 golfing ability is that you could smell I'd been on 0:38:07.080 --> 0:38:12.360 the golf course. You ever been around somebody and you 0:38:12.400 --> 0:38:16.680 know they were trying to mask with cologne or perfume 0:38:17.320 --> 0:38:18.640 that they had been partaking. 0:38:23.719 --> 0:38:25.440 The smell is evidence. 0:38:28.920 --> 0:38:32.640 A normal thief would try to conceal the evidence of. 0:38:32.600 --> 0:38:35.880 The crime that they committed. But can y'all help me close? 0:38:36.160 --> 0:38:37.719 My God went and robbed. 0:38:37.480 --> 0:38:40.239 The grave and left evidence to let you know I 0:38:40.320 --> 0:38:42.160 did it. 0:38:42.160 --> 0:38:42.600 It was me. 0:38:44.560 --> 0:38:48.200 I rose with all power and authority, I rose with 0:38:48.280 --> 0:38:49.600 all power in my hand. 0:38:49.719 --> 0:38:52.640 It was me. Yes, I did that. I did that. 0:38:53.120 --> 0:38:55.760 I left evidence for you to know what I did 0:38:55.800 --> 0:39:09.839 for you. Everybody stand on your one of the things 0:39:09.880 --> 0:39:13.040 we do every Sunday. If you don't have to leave, 0:39:13.080 --> 0:39:16.320 please don't I'm about to give an invitation for someone 0:39:16.360 --> 0:39:18.400 to make a decision to put their faith in Jesus. 0:39:20.960 --> 0:39:24.520 Don't let you walking past them become evidence of their insignificance. 0:39:28.360 --> 0:39:30.080 That's what the enemy has been trying to tell them 0:39:30.080 --> 0:39:30.479 all week. 0:39:34.400 --> 0:39:40.200 Bout your head, close your eyes. Somebody walked in today 0:39:40.200 --> 0:39:45.359 and he said I needed proof. I needed proof that 0:39:45.400 --> 0:39:46.440 God wasn't done with me. 0:39:46.600 --> 0:39:48.000 Then his hand was. 0:39:47.960 --> 0:39:52.280 On my life, that my life matters. He needed proof. 0:39:55.719 --> 0:39:58.680 I pray to the best. 0:39:58.440 --> 0:40:01.680 Of my ability that the evidence left in that tomb 0:40:02.280 --> 0:40:05.399 tells a story of how loved you are. 0:40:08.080 --> 0:40:09.240 So we're going to say a prayer. 0:40:10.600 --> 0:40:13.600 This is a prayer of salvation, a prayer of surrender 0:40:14.560 --> 0:40:16.600 for the benefit of those that are coming to Jesus. 0:40:18.000 --> 0:40:20.200 Or maybe you're here today and you used to walk 0:40:20.239 --> 0:40:22.600 with God, you used to talk with God, but you 0:40:22.680 --> 0:40:25.680 walked away from the faith. Maybe this is your moment to. 0:40:25.600 --> 0:40:26.160 Come back home. 0:40:27.520 --> 0:40:29.520 We're gonna save this prayer together as a church family 0:40:29.560 --> 0:40:31.280 for the benefit of those that are coming to Jesus. 0:40:31.280 --> 0:40:34.160 Everyone heads bowed, eyes closed, repeat after me say, I 0:40:34.239 --> 0:40:39.960 believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and 0:40:40.000 --> 0:40:43.000 that he died on a cross and rose from the 0:40:43.000 --> 0:40:47.200 grave to forgive me of my sins. So I'll give 0:40:47.239 --> 0:40:51.560 you my sins. I give you my shame, and from 0:40:51.600 --> 0:40:56.960 this day for it, I'll follow you. This is my 0:40:57.040 --> 0:41:02.080 new beginning. I am a child oh of God, with 0:41:02.200 --> 0:41:03.040 all heads about. 0:41:02.800 --> 0:41:03.439 And all us close. 0:41:03.480 --> 0:41:05.760 If you just said that prayer, you meant it making 0:41:05.760 --> 0:41:07.640 a decision to put your faith in Jesus or you're 0:41:07.680 --> 0:41:08.520 coming back to him. 0:41:08.719 --> 0:41:10.600 I'm going to count to three, and when. 0:41:10.480 --> 0:41:11.839 I get to three, I want you to shoot your 0:41:11.880 --> 0:41:14.640 hand up boldly so we can celebrate this moment with you. 0:41:14.920 --> 0:41:17.440 Here we go one, two, three. 0:41:17.280 --> 0:41:19.920 Shoot your hand up. If you're making a decision to 0:41:20.040 --> 0:41:24.640 put your faith in Jesus. God, bless you, God, bless you, God, 0:41:24.640 --> 0:41:25.080 bless you. 0:41:25.160 --> 0:41:26.560 Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus. 0:41:26.640 --> 0:41:29.760 Give God the biggest coup but praise in this place. 0:41:32.719 --> 0:41:33.839 Thank you for joining us. 0:41:34.120 --> 0:41:36.600 Special thanks to those of you who give generously to 0:41:36.640 --> 0:41:40.160 this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible. 0:41:40.600 --> 0:41:42.799 You can click the link in the description to give 0:41:42.880 --> 0:41:46.799 now or visit Elevation Church dot org slash podcast for 0:41:46.880 --> 0:41:49.960 more information and if you enjoyed the podcast. 0:41:49.760 --> 0:41:50.840 You can subscribe. 0:41:51.120 --> 0:41:53.200 You can share it with your friends you can click 0:41:53.239 --> 0:41:55.480 the share button, take a screenshot and share it on 0:41:55.480 --> 0:41:58.080 your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. 0:41:58.120 --> 0:42:00.000 Thanks again for listening. God bless you.