"Easter"

I love Easter weekend - because it's a weekend of victory and celebration. If there is ever an opportunity for the church to celebrate, it's on Easter weekend..The world's greatest good news/bad news/good news story has just taken place. Let me tell you about it.One week ago, He came to Jerusalem..thousands of people lined the streets cheering and worshipping this Jesus (the Son of God) and singing of their commitment to Him..But within the course of 3 to 4 days, the religious leaders of the day turned the tide of popular opinion against Him and He was accused of treason - arrested and found guilty..then led by a mob out to a hill just outside of Jerusalem where He was killed..crucified..nailed to a wooden cross between 2 thieves..and at that moment it seemed that darkness had won and that evil would prevail..that was Friday..And for the past 2 days, His followers have been hiding in fear and unbelief..(surely this couldn't be true)..Jesus was dead. But then comes Sunday morning, and an empty tomb and a risen Savior.

And that's what we celebrate this Easter weekend..That Jesus is alive.and that darkness and sin and death would not have the last victory - that evil has not won. But folks we don't just celebrate a moment in history today..(I mean that's the temptation - to simply call it a holiday - eat ham and go back to work on Monday)..NO..This weekend we celebrate the amazing difference the alive Jesus makes in our lives today and every day..We celebrate how His power can transform our lives..

Now - let me put the brakes on for a moment..You know..Here at Lakeview Church we talk a lot about being a seeker..How we as human beings spend our lives searching for meaning and purpose - and how we long to have a meaningful relationship with God..Well at the start here I want to turn that around a bit..and take a moment to look at how God has been seeking us.Yes - God has been pursuing us.

Let me go way back.God, in the very beginning, created the heavens and the earth, and then He created us..mankind. (He initiated life.) Now - why would He do that ? Well the Bible says there's really only one reason - relationship. He wanted to seek out a relationship with us. The Creator befriending the creation..

One of the greatest works of art in all of history is Michelangelo's painting of Adam and God..Amazing picture - but again notice who is pursuing who. Who is straining to touch Adam's hand? Who is making the effort? God is..Every muscle in His face is contorted and the hand is reaching as far as possible - to make contact..

Now look at Adam's hand..He just simply lets a lackadaisical limp hand dangle with apathy in God's direction..Adam is basically saying - if it meets it meets..

And that is more the story of life than any of us realize..God is straining towards us to connect..yet we seldom take notice..

All through history we have countless examples where God actively pursued a relationship with human beings - Abraham, Moses, the people of Israel, King David, Solomon, the prophets. The Old Testament is full of God pursuing people..

One thing I read this week surprised me..When David and then Solomon were building the first great temple for God..in Jerusalem - a masterpiece of beauty and splendor. It's interesting that God held back the plans for a long time in its building. Why? (II Samuel 7) Because He didn't want the people to have to come to meet Him - He wanted to walk with them - to journey with them in relationship..

God has always been about the work of trying to connect relationally with us - He's always been straining for relationship..Now, what does this have to do with Easter you ask..It has everything to do with Easter. At Easter - (which is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) - God finally did the one thing that would make a relationship possible and very accessible for all. He came to connect with us.

Let's talk about this great connection that Easter brings for a few moments.

1. Connection

Let me first connect Good Friday with Easter Sunday because these 2 go hand in hand. I grew up in a church that focused more on the cross than the resurrection. But there's a lot more to the story than Jesus' death..We must not simply focus on the cross - not just on Jesus' death .because life came on Easter Sunday. That's what we're here to celebrate today.

When Jesus was on the cross, He made several statements. He said things..He asked God to forgive those who were torturing Him. He asked his friend John to take care of His mother. He forgave the thief beside Him and He said these words - "It is finished" - and then He died. Those words, "It is finished" are very significant words because they describe much more than one man's fight with life and death on a roman cross...

What was finished was not only the pain He was going through.but also a significant part of the plan of God. Jesus' death paved the way for humanity to relationally connect with God..It cleared the path for complete forgiveness and grace to pour into our lives by faith. And Jesus knew the blood stained cross was the only way..that was what would build the bridge between man and God.

He had to conquer sin by His death. Listen to this.

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8)

See, because of the cross - we have the ability to connect with God..Because of what Jesus finished we can know the forgiveness and grace of God..Now.look at the wording there. It says "when we were utterly helpless." Let me say this very clearly - because this is a very important truth to understand. "Utterly helpless" here is talking about our ability to get rid of our own sin - our ability to walk in relationship with God - our ability to find and connect with God in this life or in the life to come. we are helpless on our own.

Folks, listen to the truth. There is no possible way to come into a relationship with God - or to have our sins cleared up or to have our souls grow closer to God, or to find eternal life in heaven on our own. And that's really the message of the cross - to simply accept that we are helpless to change our own souls..And that we must accept the forgiveness and grace poured out by Jesus when He died for us. The cross cancels our past sin debt. The message of the cross is that it opens the door for us to walk in a forgiven relationship with God.

But that's just the beginning. That's Good Friday.Now, comes Sunday and the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is all about Jesus walking with us into the future to expand our spiritual lives. Listen to the rest of those verses from Romans 5:

"Now, just think of how our spiritual lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life! So now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God." (Romans 5:10&11)

See folks, Jesus is alive - that's what we celebrate today. He's alive.and we can walk with Him every day by faith. We can connect with God in a deeply meaningful way. And when Jesus said "It is finished," that's the picture He had in His head..A relational completion and connection between us and God.

Let me tell you about my week.it was kinda crazy. Tuesday at noon my mom called and said that dad was dizzy - he couldn't walk, he was violently ill - and it all happened very suddenly. It seemed like the symptoms of a stroke. So here's what I did - I engaged my faith. I called people to pray. I asked God to be with mom and dad. I asked Him to spare dad's life and guide the doctors. Then I drove to Tisdale to meet mom. While I was driving, an incredible assurance and peace came over me about the situation - even though I could do nothing. I knew that it was going to be okay. Knowing that God was in charge was a huge thing for me this week.and I relinquished control to Him. Control of the situation, my fear, and my frustration - I let go.and I received peace. Now - why did I get peace? Because the alive Jesus was with me - every moment that day. In every thought, in every whispered prayer - in ever minute.in every breath. It was an incredible connection.

People, hear this truth again. Jesus is alive and very real. That's what we celebrate this weekend.

That's the first reason we celebrate - because we're not alone..Jesus is alive and He longs to spend time with you. He longs to walk beside you and expand your soul. He longs to hear the cry of your heart - whether it's pain or passion. He longs to connect with you deeply.

Here's the 2 nd reason we celebrate today.

2. Freedom

Some of the most memorable words Jesus ever spoke were these

- "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John

8:32.

Freedom is a word we are so often confused about. In North America we think we are very free, compared to the rest of the world. I mean, we have rights and choices, we make our own decisions, we can vote, we can be educated -

really the world is at our disposal. We can live as we please and chase our dreams at will.

And to be honest - all of these things are true - it's a wonderful privilege to live where we do... but I believe there's an element of freedom we don't understand - or perhaps, it's bondage we don't understand....See... I think we create our own prisons, our own chains, our own bondage - in our false search for freedom....

Let me explain.Somehow we have gotten the idea that freedom is about doing what we want when we want it, no matter what the cost to us or those near us. There are many examples of this search for freedom... that lots of us have tried....

Some of us feel freedom will be found in attaining wealth and power - you know the pattern - "if I could just have that house in that area of town", or "if I could just get that job or this position in the company", or "if I could just drive that car or afford to wear that dress or be invited to that function... then I will have achieved and attained...". Somehow we are fooled into thinking, that more stuff or a larger position equals freedom - and folks - what a joke that is - really - because we spend half our lives (or sometimes all our lives) chasing stuff and things or a position - and guess what? That's not freedom.... Spending years of your life focused on that, is called bondage... because what happens is this... the chase for more, becomes your life... and it's like a rope around your neck....

Just a few more hours work; just one more position up the ladder; just one more pay raise; just one more... then I'll be free.... Folks - that's a prison, that will leave you alone and empty and joyless and peaceless and frustrated - because enough never is enough.... That's not freedom.

Others of us have been duped into thinking that freedom is about choosing whatever we want to do with our lives morally , or we believe that freedom comes by chasing hard after the pleasures of life available to us. But do you have any idea the bondage that something like free sex has caused our society? I've said this many times.but all free sex has caused is this:

• millions of cases of sexually transmitted diseases
• AIDS
• soaring abortion rates
• sexual violence and abuse running rampant

I don't know about you, but I don't see those as very freeing in our society... or in your life. They're prisons...

Or do you have any idea the freedom that has been stolen by the misuse of alcohol and drugs in our society?....

• you should see the stats on how alcohol increases the chance for violence within the home
• or the number of people killed every year because of driving drunk
• or the downside, the low points after the highs of years of doing drugs
• or try this: have you ever sat down and talked with someone who's an alcoholic, and asked them about the carnage it's left in their lives?

People - these things have nothing to do with freedom, and these are only a few examples.... There are many other things we chase, trying to be free...things we try to fill up that hole in our souls with.

People, hear this; freedom isn't about doing whatever we want when we want it, and doing it as much as we want. That is simply a worthless chasing.

Solomon in his wisdom put it like this: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

People, freedom is not about that stuff..Real freedom comes when you know your Creator and when He gets to know you intimately - to walk hand in hand with Him every day.

Real freedom is found when we get a true sense every day that we are doing what we were created to do - that we are becoming what we were created to become..by connecting with the alive Jesus.

To wake up every morning and be able to choose Jesus - that's freedom. To fill up your soul with Jesus and with truth - and not anything else - that's freedom.

So it's Easter and folks, if it's true that Jesus rose from the dead, then why wouldn't you chase His freedom?

3. Transformation

Now let me talk for a moment about transformation connected to freedom. There are lots of things in our lives and our character that hold us back from living the way we want to live. Things we can't seem to change. Things we're not free from but we'd sure like to be..Like:

• Anger that lashes out at loved ones.or
• Our mouths and the hurt they cause.or
• That sin that keeps coming up time and time again.or
• That dark part of our lives that we know is holding us back from walking closer with God.

What do we do with this stuff.and will we ever be really free from that list?

Well - the answer is yes - because of the resurrection of Jesus. Listen to the Apostle Paul: "So now there is no condemnation for those who follow Jesus Christ, for the power of God has freed you from sin.and you are no longer controlled by sin. Since Christ lives within you.you are now alive to God." (Romans 8:1-3)

Did you hear that? The implications are really quite astounding if you think about it. See, because Jesus is alive and by faith He lives in our lives. We then have the power to be free - free from those things that hold us back.

• Free from our mouths getting us into trouble.
• Free from the stuff that hurts the people we love the most.
• Free from our angry outbursts.
• Free from the control money or sex or power has on us.
• Free from addictions.

People, hear it...Our lives can be transformed. Not because we can do this on our own. We can't. But when we engage the living Christ to deal with these darker parts of life...That's when there's enough power to break those sinful patterns.

Here's how I described it in a previous message: "Jesus Christ has the power to change your character..to release you from that part of you that leads to damage and destruction and then He brings you to light and life."

Here's how I see it: Sin à bondage à the search for freedom à transformation.

Romans 8:11 - "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.and will give you life."

Romans 6:4 - "Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the power of God.now we also may live new lives."

Here's what I believe to be true..and for some 20 years I have seen it play out in the lives of people who follow Jesus Christ..The truth about Easter weekend is this: The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives inside of us. (That is, when we commit our lives to follow Jesus). God actually lives in us and His Spirit's transforming power is made available to us.

So if that's true, think of the implications as we've said:

• Sin no longer has a hold on us.
• Addictions or habits don't have to win anymore.
• All those false things we try to fill our lives up with would be seen as they really are - false.
• And fear about the future would disappear.

And what would those transformations look like? Think about it. If the power of Christ is fully in our lives.

• We will be able to become the person we were created to become
• We will be able to love like Jesus does and care like Jesus does
• We will be able to respond like Jesus does
• We will be able to have self-control like Jesus does
• We will be able to have the wisdom that Jesus does
• We will be able to see ourselves the way Jesus does.
• As beautiful children of the king
• As amazing creations
• As gifts from God

Do you see it now? Take it another step.. If all these changes are possible, then what do you think will happen to:

• Our friendships and the way we respond to them
• The way we parent and how patient we are with our kids
• The way we love our spouses
• Our marriages
• Our families and the way we get along with them
• Our future and the difference we could make?

Folks, here's the truth of the resurrection - God wants to pour that kind of power into your life..His power into your soul. Do you feel it? One more step..Eternity.

The moments of the resurrection, were a display of God's unlimited power to transform life and to conquer even death itself and open the door for us to see eternity.

I said before that my dad got pretty sick - fast this week. He's ok now. Well, lots of thoughts go through your mind including death.But I gotta tell you, there is an assurance for those who follow Jesus Christ - even in death. I cannot describe the peace that came over me and my mom. She said, "Even if he goes - I know he'll go to Jesus." See, my dad's faith is sure - he knows the alive Jesus Christ. And His power is at work in my dad's life - continuing to change and transform him in his 70 th year.

People, that's the truth of the resurrection that we celebrate today. If you want victory in life over sin or over addictions or over your own personality, then by faith - engage the living Christ in your life. If you want real freedom and transformation, connect with Jesus today. Or if you want assurance of victory even over death, it only comes by one source - the power of the risen Savior - Jesus Christ.