Easter at FOTP: Grateful for Life!

Well, I grew up in Grand Prairie, single-parent household. My sister and I, we kind of raised ourselves. The youngest memory of my childhood would probably be when I was nine years old, I was sexually abused. I just always felt this uncertainty. I always felt this stress or this emptiness, and mind you, I was really young going through this. Didn't really have nobody to talk to, didn't have any guidance or anything like that. And so one time, me and my friend, we were sitting out there and he's like, "Hey, you want to try this?" And it's a joint. I just said yeah, because I was trying to be cool. Around 15, 16, as soon as I was able to drop myself out of high school, that's what I did. By then, I was already selling drugs. Started dibbling, dabbling. Got clearance to smoke weed inside of the house, and so that's when everything kind of just spiked up. And I want to say from 18 to maybe the next 10 to 15 years was just a huge blur, was a life full of anger, a life full of partying, women. It was just all types of stuff. Church was like another gang. Why do I need a gang? I already have one of those, and so why do I need a book to tell me how to live life? What? They believe that? And so, I would mock it. I would always say, "If there was a God, why am I going through the stuff that I'm going through?" And I blamed him a lot. When you've experienced deep pain and emptiness, it's easy to start blaming God. It's easy to get in a place and think, "Okay, God, why is this happening to me?" And you may not be able to relate exactly to the specific circumstances of Roy's life, but we can all relate to those feelings. Those feelings like we're just going through the motions, we are doing what we know to do to survive, but really, we're not enjoying, we're not experiencing the life that really God wants us. And we look for it. We look for it in a lot of places. Yet a lot of times, we're investing in things that really don't sustain us. It could be job and career, and not that that's bad, but if that is the significant reason for your purpose or your existence. Even relationships. Relationships are important, but relationships are temporary. Sometimes we think life is going to be good if I can just get this person to love me, to give me affection back, and then it just somehow, it's not enough. Or social media. We try to find something there, doom scrolling, whatever, just looking for something, some way to make life a little more significant. Or it's about our bank accounts. How much money can I make? And we think maybe that that defines us. But God wants you to experience life in a way that can literally change your world, a transformative relationship with Jesus Christ. Now, Easter is a celebration of Jesus, not just that he was crucified, but that he rose from the dead. So we're going to go back 2,000 years and we're going to look at this story, and this story concerns Jesus, who has been laid in the tomb, and we have these women that end up going, if you will, to the graveyard. And here's what you need to know. They didn't really get it. They were scared, but they were also mourning. Their hope was shattered because the man that they loved and they followed, they didn't clue into the fact, they didn't remember what Jesus had told them, that he would rise from the dead. So they go there, and we pick the story up in Luke chapter 24. In chapter 24, beginning in verse one, said, "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and they went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' And then they remembered his words." I think about those women, and I admire them. When Jesus was crucified, his disciples pretty much were afraid. They were scared, and they pretty much abandoned him. But these women were faithful. They were faithful because they were going through the motions of what they knew to do because they were grieving. The one that they loved had been killed.But instead of finding death, instead of finding a body, they found life, and they were grateful for it. They end up running back and telling the disciples. But notice the question that the angel asked them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" I think that's a question that echoes for us today. It's a question that we all really need to answer for ourselves. Is what you're investing yourself in, what you're counting on, what you're living for, is it the life that you want? Or could you be looking in the wrong places? Three things that I want to share with you as we celebrate Easter. Based on this passage, I would encourage you to stop looking for a life in dead places. Stop looking for a life in dead places. And these women were going through the motions, and I want you to understand that what they were doing was simply customary for the day. It was part of the grief or the mourning process. Now, Jesus had been crucified on a Friday, and they wanted to hurriedly get him in the tomb, get him buried and taken care of, because Saturday was coming, and that would violate the Sabbath. Certain window there. So it was rushed. But they weren't bringing spices to the tomb to embalm the body. The body had been there for two days. It was decaying. There would have been an odor, and so that's why they brought the spices. Let me just be honest with you. I do not like graveyards. I don't like going to them. A couple reasons for that. First of all, I've seen some really odd things at graveyards. I've seen some funny things, believe it or not, and I've seen some really creepy things. But secondly, I don't like going there because it's filled with dead people. When my father died, he and my mother lived back in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I'm originally from, and went back, of course, to the funeral, the memorial service, and all of that. Loved my dad, close relationship with him, and I miss him. But going back, my mother, when I would come into town, would always ask me, "Doug, do you want to go to the cemetery?" I said, "Mom, I'm willing to do that if you want to do that. If that's something that you want me to do and want me to drive you out there, then so be it." But I said, "If you think it's something that I need, I don't want to be there. I know that my dad is not there. I know that. I'm not looking for a life." I understand and people grieve in different ways and understand that sort of connection, the memory, and all of that. Then later when my son died, I didn't want to go there. I didn't want to go then. I wish I'd never seen his body because I know that's just an empty shell, and I know that one day the Bible talks about that Christians, their bodies will rise and all of that. But I know that they're with Jesus. And so I want you to consider, metaphorically, some graveyards. Looking in the wrong places. First one, I'll just call a secular graveyard. Now, what I mean by secular is it's not that these things are necessarily bad in and of themselves. It's just it's not satisfying. It's not what we really hope it would be. And again, it's those relationships. It's our bank accounts. It's the social media. It's the things that we live for, that we kid ourselves and think that we don't, but man, we need those likes. We need those applause. I'll just tell you, the way I'm wired, I grew up needing really just to be validated for my existence. I always felt like I had to prove myself in order to have a seat at the table. I've got some baggage from different things, and so I lived, and it took me for a long period in my life to sort of break that cycle of always putting myself in a performance box and finding value in based on what people thought or whether or not they liked me or would just affirm me. Well, those things, again, not all of them are bad, but what would that maybe secular graveyard be for you? That you find yourself being locked in, maybe sort of lost in, but you're going through the motions. You're trying to survive. You're trying to get just a little break from the stress of life, but you go to those things, and you think that somehow it's going to get you what you want. But here's the thing. Secular graveyards, they all have an expiration date. All those things, because they don't last. They're not eternal.And God created us to be beings that would walk with Him in a relationship throughout eternity. There are also religious graveyards. Religious graveyards, it's same thing, going through the motions, going to church, showing up for this, for that, checking your list, maybe doing a Bible study, doing devotion, or not really motivated out of desire, but this is just something I have to do in order to get God's approval. Jesus had some of the harshest words, and he said those to religious people, a self-righteous group by the name, they're called the Pharisees. And they had all these outer adornments that said that they were spiritual and religious, yet Jesus said this. He said, "On the outside, you look like a beautiful vase, but you're really just an urn. On the inside, you're filled with the bones of dead men." God never intended for us to be religious and to earn His favor. God created us to be in relationship with Him. In Roy's story, he started coming to church. He was making some connections, and he was learning, and he found himself in these cycles, pursuing really trying to pursue life in dead places. For him, it was drugs and alcohol and crime. But let's continue and listen to Roy's story and see what God begins to do in his life. "You're getting all these chances, Roy." I would always tell myself, first, it would always be luck. It would always luck. But they always say luck runs out. Made a Facebook post looking for churches, and a member from our church named Miss Diana, she reached out the following Sunday and asked me, "Hey, were you able to make it to FOTP?" And so that was one of the things that brought me in, and I'm like, "Well, let me see where this church is at." And it's literally the closest church to me. It's on the other side of the highway, so I'm just like, "You know what? Let me go in there, give it a try." So I walk in. I come in the next Sunday, actually. Meet Pastor Tim at the door, and he's like, "Hey." He's like, "Good morning." He's like, "Either you're really late for our first service or really early for our second." And I'm just like, "Okay, I like this guy already." There was another gentleman named Ken that was also keeping in contact with me, and so I met him in the atrium, and he just introduced me to everybody. The love that I felt, I felt that A Family for Everyone do a good job at making it, and I felt it my first day. So when I came in, I was still doing the things that I wanted to do. So that led to New Year's, New Year's Eve of '25. Drinking and driving. End up going to jail. I'm sitting in that jail cell thinking about January 12th, like, "Roy, about to get baptized in 11 days, knowing that you're not supposed to be walking out of here. You can't even walk out of here. When are you going to stop?" Asking the question, when is it going to stop? Caught up in the cycle and just not working. And it's those things that we turn to, those graveyards, they sort of just keep pulling at us. We find ourselves in the cycle. It's something that's comfortable. It's something that we've known. We keep returning to that, looking for life. But again, it's a dead place. It's not going to give you really what you want. But this is why Easter is so important. And the second thing you must know and realize is that Jesus is alive. If you have intellectual questions about that and understand every reason to be skeptical, I want to just quickly refer you to something because I don't have time to address all of that. But do you know that when Jesus was crucified, on the third day that He rose, and when He rose from the dead, He was on the Earth 40 days. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians that more than 500 people saw Him at one time. And so for 40 days, people saw Him. It was known that He was alive. I do want to give you a reference, though. I think this young man is an incredible apologist or a defender of the faith, very intellectual. His name is Wes or Wesley Huff, wesleyhuff.com. If you have serious intellectual questions, I would encourage you, go look at his stuff. But see, the resurrection sets Jesus apart. It is the defining factor and confirms that Jesus is who He claimed to be, that He, in fact, was God in the flesh, not just human, but fully humanNot just God, but also fully God. Hard for us to wrap our minds around, but Jesus came here to do what no one else could. He solved a problem for us that we could not solve on our own. The Bible tells us that we are described as being spiritually dead. In fact, look at this in Ephesians chapter two, verse one. It says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins." God is a perfect and holy God, and even one sin separates us from Him. Even one sin makes us unfit. And we know from the Garden of Eden and what happened there, every person, Adam and Eve included, they all sinned. They've all missed the mark, but God didn't give up on humanity. Because God is loving and merciful, He sent Jesus to understand, to identify with us, to go through the same temptations that we go through, yet unlike us, He never sinned. And the Bible says that made Him, therefore, an acceptable sacrifice to go to the cross. His crucifixion was done in our place so that we didn't have to remain spiritually dead, so that we could have an incredible life, an eternal life. It is through His blood, the Bible tells us, that we have the remission, the removal, the forgiveness of our sins. His blood paid for us. It gives us a relationship with God. And the fact that He rose from the dead, if we would just believe on Him, if we would just exhibit faith and then live out of gratitude. It's not about being religious. It's not about working our way to heaven. It's solely about who Jesus is and what He's done, unlike any other prophet, any other teacher, or rabbi. God wants us to live. He wants us to believe, but then He wants us... And it's a process. When we truly believe and accept Jesus Christ, there is a process that takes time, and we don't understand everything, but we learn as we go, and it doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes. But our mode of operation, what should change us from the inside out, is that we are grateful for the life that He gives. So really following Jesus, discipleship, obedience, it's out of gratitude because we understand how powerful and transformative it truly is to know that one day when we die physically, we don't have to be separated from Him for eternity. It means that we don't have to worry about death and hell, but instead, that's the opportunity that He wants for us to be permanently with Him. See, those graveyards bring death, and the Bible talks about an enemy or a thief, and that is commonly referred to as Satan or Lucifer. And in John chapter 10, verse 10, Jesus said these words. He said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy," but He said, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." This is not a life just about being religious to check off a box. It is God wants to transform your marriage. He wants to transform your career. He wants you to understand that, listen, this is what He's given you, but it's a context for ministry. It's a context for worship. It is a context for living in gratitude. He wants to bless your life, but He loves you too much to leave you alone. He wants to change you for the better. He wants you to become like Him because He loves you and He cares for you. And this is what really encourages me. As we continue here just a little bit in the story, we find these women, again, they have the spices. They're going through the motion. They were expecting to find death. They weren't there looking for life, but they discovered life. So what did they do? They run back and tell the other disciples. Let's look in chapter 24 again of Luke, verses nine through 12. "When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven." Remember, Judas, the disciple, was not with them at that point. But they told all these things to the 11 and to all the others. Listen, most of them were in hiding, by the way. They didn't know. They didn't know how to process. None of them really remembered what Jesus said. They didn't clue in. They didn't get it. But it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the others with them who told them to the apostles. But they did not believe the women because they thought their words seemed to them like nonsense. I think that's kind of funny. But it says, "Peter, however, got up and he ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened." Let me just be very clear why this encourages me. Listen, Jesus' disciples, they-- I meanThey weren't there really in the end. They forgot what he said. They couldn't process it. They couldn't put it together. They were shattered and broken, but Peter specifically, who when they arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he withdrew his sword and assaulted one of the guards, and Jesus told him to stop, and he was the one that was going to stand up for Jesus. Yet Jesus had told him that he would deny him three times. It's betrayal. It happened. Jesus was placed in the tomb, and yet Peter unreconciled, but he wanted to see for himself. He wanted to go back to see could this be true? It seems like nonsense, but he's running to the tomb. He's running to the graveyard because he's looking for life, and he finds that Jesus is alive, and God did incredible things through Peter's life. But what I want you to see is, is whatever your journey has been, God wants to move you forward, and I want to compel you, keep investigating Jesus' gift of life. If you've not made a commitment to him, if you've not yet said, "Yes, I believe, I understand, and I'm grateful, so I'm committing to live out of gratitude," then accept him. Trust him. Get your questions answered because there are answers. Just seek him and you will find him, the Bible says. But if you are what we call a Christer, come Christmas and Easter, that's okay. I'm glad you're here. I want to encourage you to investigate further. Investigate further and do it in community. The disciples, they did it in community, and so they were huddled together, but God did great things in their life, gave them relationships that would be eternal ones. God blessed them because of their faith. Let me challenge you to go forward, keep investigating, and make church a habit. Just see what God does. I want to encourage you to take that challenge. Roy didn't give up. I don't want you to give up, and Roy, in a sense, he ran back to the tomb. I want you to hear from him again, and let's understand and see where he is today. Knowing that you're not supposed to be walking out of here. You can't even walk out of here. Like, when are you going to stop? And that's when I told myself, "Okay, this is where you got to actually do the walk too. You can't just talk the talk. You got to actually walk the walk." My baptism, man, that was a great experience. We want you to be here, support, and we also want you to help hold me accountable, and so what we celebrate at baptism is that I love Jesus, and I want everybody to know about it. Roy, what is your profession of faith? I do. Well said. Lord, because of that profession, I get to baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in a new way. After finding God and being able to get into church, I didn't feel this sense of emptiness no more that I used to always feel. I always feel like I have somebody now, whether it's somebody there physically or it's him. I can always turn to somebody. With prayer, I can sit there, and I can talk to somebody, and at first, I never felt like I had anybody to talk to. So it's really helped me give me a sense of belonging, and again, it's just really helped with my mental health. I remember the mental health advocate, Rod, reaching out to me, and I think for the most part, I think we've done a good job, and so I just want to continue that journey of just getting closer to him and just seeing if me and him can repair that. So if anybody feels like they can't do it, if I can do it, you definitely can do it. Not necessarily comparing problems or anything like that, but I've gone through a lot, from gunfires to drug overdoses to car accidents. So I would say I'm pretty up there. So if God has helped me out with that, I'm pretty sure with your stuff, he can help me out as well. And again, if he can do it for me, he definitely can do it for you. So what you just heard, that's what Jesus does, and when he went to the cross, he bore our shame, our guilt, our past, Roy's shame, Roy's guilt, Roy's past. It was all because of his blood to make it right. So we're going to take some time to respond. Maybe that means for you to worship, maybe to take a step forward. Oh, everything changed. It's getting harder to recognize. The person I was before I encountered Christ. I don't walk like I used to. I don't talk like I used to. I've been washed from the inside. I've been washed from the inside. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. I cannot explain, but there's nothing more real than this. In the presence of God, oh, my heart experienced. When my shame is washed aside, and my sin is no more sight. I've been washed from the inside. I've been washed from the inside. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. What can wash away my sin Oh Nothing but the blood of Jesus Thank you, thank you, Father What can make me whole again Thank you, thank you, Jesus The blood of Jesus It's never been about performance, perfection, or striving for acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. It's never been about deserving or earning. It's a gift that's freely given. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. It's never been about performance, perfection, or striving for acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. It's never been about deserving or earning. It's a gift that's freely given. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Does anybody want to be holy and righteous and purified and spotless? Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Does anybody want to be worthy, forgiven, and justified and living? Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. It's only by the blood. It's only by the blood. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. Thank you, Father. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. Could've only been the blood. What can wash away my sin My sin Nothing but the blood of Jesus Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again Nothing but the blood of Jesus Nothing but the blood of Jesus