["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Faithful Word Baptist Church.
Great to see you all here for our Sunday morning service.
It's Easter morning.
Good to see everyone out.
We begin today, let's have a seat, and open our handles to song number 33.
We begin this morning's service by singing song number 33,
Christ the Lord, is risen today.
["Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"]
Song number 33.
["Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"]
Christ the Lord is risen today, Hallelujah.
Sons of man, may we just sing, Hallelujah.
Raise your joys and triumph high, Hallelujah.
Singing, Hallelujah, we cry, Hallelujah.
Here's to Thee, our glorious King, Hallelujah.
Where, O death, is well-casted, Hallelujah.
Dying was He, O God's King, Hallelujah.
When I came to Thee again, Hallelujah.
Most redeeming work is done, Hallelujah.
Of the fight, the battle's won, Hallelujah.
Let him be, for this day, Christ, Hallelujah.
Christ has hope, He can provide us, Hallelujah.
We now grant Christ as dead, Hallelujah.
Hallelujah exalted, Hallelujah.
We like Him, like Him, we Christ, Hallelujah.
Christ the Christ will make us now, Hallelujah.
Amen.
Great to hear from you.
One more team that's prepared for us.
Well, thank you for the day, for the opportunity
to be in church this morning.
So bless our services, our singing.
We do the same, amen.
Amen.
Thank you, brother.
Let's turn our hymnals to song number 10.
That's song number 10 in our hymnals, Near the Cross.
Song number 10.
Amen.
We stream and close from Calvary's mountain,
In the cross, in the cross, be thy glory ever,
Till thy captured soul shall rise,
Rest beyond the river,
In the cross, the tramp is born,
From heaven's deep valley,
There the pride and glory song,
Sheds its peace around thee.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be thy glory ever,
Till thy captured soul shall rise,
Rest beyond the river,
Near the cross, O Lamb of God,
Pray his sins before thee,
Help me walk from day to day,
With his shadow toward me.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be thy glory ever,
Till thy captured soul shall rise,
Rest beyond the river,
In the cross, O Lamb of God,
Pray his sins before thee,
Help me walk from day to day,
Help me justly ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.
In the cross, be thy glory ever,
Till thy captured soul shall rise,
Rest beyond the river.
Amen.
Let's talk about the announcements
and the following.
If you need a bulletin, go ahead and raise up your hand.
Brother Adam will bring you one.
As always, we've got our service times listed there at the top.
Sundays at 10 30 a.m., again at 5 30 p.m.
Thursdays at 7 will be in 1 Kings 14 this week.
We've got the Churchwide Soul winning times below that,
as well as the salvation and baptisms for both month and year.
We've got a couple of notes there regarding the church,
and also a reminder to please silence your cell phones at this time
because we've already done so.
Myself and my family would just like to wish everybody a happy Easter.
It's a great day, glad to see everybody out
and acknowledging the resurrection of Christ.
Happy Easter to everybody.
Also below that, we have the pizza party
in honor of those who've completed a 90-day New Testament challenge
coming up at the end of the month there, Friday, April 29th at 7 p.m.
If you completed the 90-day New Testament challenge
and you haven't yet signed up on the back sheet,
please do so as soon as you can.
That way we can get an accurate count for the amount of pizza that we'll need.
Also on the back, some exciting news.
Join us for Faithful Word Baptist Church Tucson.
So this is something that is in a small town soul winning.
It's being put on by Tempe.
It's something I'm leading.
It's something we're doing for, of course, the folks in Tempe
are more than welcome to join us,
but this is something that we're doing for the Tucson group down here,
those that would be interested in participating in the first small town
soul winning trip to Sierra Nevada, Arizona,
which is about an hour and a half, a little less than 80 miles east of us.
And it's actually a larger city.
I think the city, I don't have the exact numbers memorized,
but I think it's about 42,000 people in the city.
And then the greater metro area is about over 100,000.
I think it's over 120,000.
So it's a big area, but it's all part of the vision that we have here
to knock every door not only in our town, in our city,
but also in the state of Arizona.
So that's what we're working on and accomplishing.
So that's going to be starting again on Saturday, May 21st.
It's going to be an all-day trip.
It's just a day trip of about two hours of soul winning in the morning,
two, two and a half, two and a half in the afternoon.
We'll provide you with breakfast, lunch, dinner.
All expenses will be on us.
And if you can make it out, I'd really encourage you to do so.
It'll be a great time to go out and knock those doors.
But that's coming up in the month of May.
So I'm just trying to get that out there so folks can plan ahead if they want to come.
Also below that, we've got the weekly Bible memory passage.
So the young people and children, go ahead and get that memorized.
Once you do so, you're more than welcome to go and help yourself to an ice cream bar
once you've recited it word perfect to a non-relative in the church.
Also below that, our annual Mother-Daughter Tea Party
in honor of Mother's Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 14th.
So the date has changed from last week.
Last week's bulletin had it the 7th.
We pushed it out another week to accommodate more people.
Also, I think there's an unofficial ladies' planning committee.
So ask around.
I don't know. My wife, the kids aren't well, so she's not here.
But you can get involved in that if you want to.
If you need to know who to talk to, come see me and I'll get you with the right people.
Otherwise, you don't have to do that.
If you want to just come, ladies, and enjoy the tea party itself,
that's really the point of the announcement.
So that's also on the schedule there.
Don't forget the men's preaching night coming up the last Tuesday of this month,
the Mexico Monday, the first Monday of next month,
as well as our church camp in a few more weeks.
Let's go ahead and have a...
I guess we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we get into the preaching tonight, this morning.
A song of the 38th. Hallelujah, we shall rise.
A song of the 38th.
In the direction morning, when the dew comes out of town,
we shall rise.
Oh, we haven't seen our vista.
Good catch.
I don't know why it's the Sierra Nevada.
Huh?
Oh, okay.
Sierra Vista.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
In the resurrection morning, what a meaning it will be.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
And our fathers and our mothers and our loved ones, we shall sing.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
We shall rise.
In the resurrection morning, when the dew comes out of town,
we shall rise.
We shall rise.
In the resurrection morning, what a meaning it will be.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
I shall see my destiny, where it holds me freely, done for me.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
We shall rise.
In the resurrection morning, when the dew comes out of town,
we shall rise.
We shall rise.
In the resurrection morning, we shall be there in the air.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
And we carry hope to glory to a moment so bright and clear.
We shall rise, we shall rise.
We shall rise.
In the resurrection morning, when the dew comes out of town,
we shall rise.
We shall rise.
Amen.
At this time, we'll pass the offering.
As the play goes around, we'll turn our bodies
to Ephesians chapter 1.
That's Ephesians chapter 1.
As always, we'll read the entire chapter.
Please follow silently as we read from Ephesians chapter 1.
Ephesians chapter 1.
Verse 1, Bible reads, Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ,
the Lord of God, should save us from our episodes
because we are faithful in Christ Jesus.
Praise be to you and teach to God our Father
and to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's bless us with all spiritual blessings
and have him placed in Christ according
to the children of us and him before the foundation
of the world.
And he should be holy without the way and before with his love.
And he predestinated us with the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ himself according to the good pleasure
of the will.
The praise of the Lord is his grace
when he hath paid us except for us and of the Lord.
And when we have redemption through his love
and forgiveness of sin according to the ritual of grace
when we have accountance with us, knowledge, and truth,
I may know him as the mystery of his will
according to the good pleasure of the purpose himself.
Then dispensation is the tools of time.
And I gather together one author in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are in earth
through his hand.
He whom also we have a pain of hearing,
he whom we have estimated according to the purpose of him
if we work at all for him that we account for his own will,
that we should be to the praise of his glory,
one first trusted in Christ, and he whom he also trusted
after that he heard the word of truth, the gospel
of his salvation.
He whom also after that he believed,
he was sealed with the one spirit of promise,
which is the earnest of our inheritance
and to the redemption of the purpose of possession
because of the praise of his glory.
I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and love and love of all the saints,
cease not to give thanks to him, making mention of you
in our prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the father of glory, be given to you
the spirit of wisdom and revelation
and knowledge of his.
He has in your understanding been enlightened.
He may know what is the hope of his calm
and what the riches of his glory and his inheritance
in the saints.
It was the exceeding greatness of his power
to us who believe according to the work of his mighty power
that he brought in Christ and he raised him from the dead,
considering that his own right hand could never
have been to heavenly places, far above all principality
and power of the mighty and dominion
in every name that remained, not only in this room,
but also in that which has come.
And after all, through the letter of his feet,
he gave him to do the head of all things,
the church, which is his body, the fullness of him,
the pillar of all and all.
For the favor of the Lord, pray for us.
Lord, thank you this morning, Lord.
Thank you for dying on the cross for us, Lord.
For the resurrection, I pray, Lord,
that you would just bless the service,
bless the performance of your spirit.
Help him to preach to us, Lord,
and help us to apply service to our lives.
In Jesus' holy name, amen.
Amen.
So in Ephesians, I want to begin there,
in chapter 1 of verse 16, where it's,
well, actually back up to verse 15, where Paul says,
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus,
and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks to you,
making mention of you in my prayers.
And of course, you know, the context here
or he goes on in the context, rather,
and explains what exactly his prayers are.
So it's great that, you know, Paul's praying for the Ephesians,
and it's great when somebody comes to us and says,
Hey, I'm praying for you.
But it's also great to kind of know that they're not,
you know, just kind of mouthing,
just a, you know, vain repetition or something.
They're just kind of briefly bringing up your name in prayer.
But also that he goes on and says,
Not only am I praying for you, but here's what I'm praying for.
You know, when we pray for people,
we ought to actually, you know, pray specific things for them.
And he prays some very specific things here
in these next couple of verses for the Ephesians.
But notice there in verse 19, it says,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us were to believe?
That was part of his prayer that they would understand that,
that they would be enlightened, that they would have,
that they would know what his exceeding greatness of his power toward us were to believe.
But notice he wants them to know that exceeding greatness of his power
according to the working of his mighty power,
which he wrought in Christ.
So again, and he goes into the resurrection, right,
which is what we're discussing today,
where he says there,
according to the working of his mighty power,
which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places.
But he wants Paul, or Paul wants the Ephesians to understand that
the way that God is working towards us today
is the same way that he worked in the resurrection.
It's that same power.
And really the point I want to make this morning is
as we think about the resurrection,
often we think about the power of God,
that he rose one from the dead,
that Christ raised from the dead.
We think about that, but we often don't realize that
that same power that God, it's the same God.
God hasn't changed. God still has that power.
And he still has a power to work toward us.
And that's the title of the sermon there.
It says in verse 19,
what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us-ward who believe?
So it's his power to us-ward who believe.
You know, we think about today about the resurrection.
We think about how Christ was risen from the dead.
We think about the power of God,
you know, those thousands of years ago.
But I think often what we forget is that God is still working toward us,
that there is still this great power that we can have from God.
Obviously we're not going to do what he did.
We're not going to expect God to just raise the dead.
You know, we're not going to go to the funeral and expect that to happen.
But there are still things that we need to not take for granted in the Christian life.
And I believe that's what Paul is kind of emphasizing here.
Again, his prayer there is that they would, in verse 16,
cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom.
So this is what he's praying for.
He's saying, hey, that you would have wisdom,
that you would have revelation, that you would have knowledge.
And also he goes on in verse 18,
that you may know the hope of his calling, the glory of his inheritance.
He wants them to understand not only what's available to them in this life,
that they can have wisdom, that they can have understanding,
that they can have revelation and knowledge in Jesus Christ,
that they can know the word of God, they can know about God,
they can know what God wants for their life.
They can have all these things.
He's praying that God would grant them that he would give them this understanding,
meaning it's available.
I mean, why else is Paul praying for it?
If he's saying, hey, I'm praying that God may give unto you the spirit of wisdom.
That means that the spirit of wisdom is available unto us today,
that we can have that today.
If he's praying that he would give you the spirit of revelation,
the knowledge of him, that means we can have revelation and the knowledge of him.
And I'm not talking about some charismatic type of revelation,
where I got a word from the Lord type of thing.
It's amazing how many people want to get into that kind of thing,
but they don't know the Bible.
The revelation and the knowledge of him can be found in the word of God.
We should be reading and studying and knowing the word of God
that's something that's available to us.
That as we read the word of God, we'll be given revelation and the knowledge of him.
We'll know him more and more.
We'll talk about that in a minute.
But these are things that Paul is praying for, for the people in Ephesus.
He's saying that God would give, that he may give them unto him.
He's saying that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened,
that you may know, meaning it's possible that you could know the hope of his calling.
You know, we could live our Christian lives with hope and peace,
knowing that we have an inheritance, that we have an inheritance reserved in heaven for us.
You may know the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of the inheritance in the saints.
These are all things that we can know.
These are all things that Paul is praying that the Ephesians would take advantage of.
It's available to us.
And not only that, we have the assurance that God will do these things,
you know, according to the working of his mighty power.
And that same power that God used to raise up Christ from the dead is still available.
Maybe not to do what he did, but he's still working to us-ward.
God still has things for us in this Christian life.
It's not like God just got you saved and then just said,
well, you know, I'm just not going to do anything else for you.
I mean, why again is Paul praying for this?
Because it is available.
You know, God didn't, you know, send his only begotten son to come down here to live a perfect life,
to bleed and die, to be resurrected again and ascend into heaven so that we could just be saved.
Obviously, that needed to happen for salvation.
He didn't go through all that so that we could just, you know, live a mediocre Christian life at best
so that we could not take advantage of all these things.
He's saying, well, I got you saved, but that's all I have for you.
That's not God.
I mean, that's what Paul's saying.
He's saying, look, he may give you the spirit of wisdom.
He might.
You may know the hope of his calling.
You might.
You might live in that.
You might walk in that knowledge.
You might have that understanding.
It's there.
It's available according to the working of his mighty power.
It's his exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe.
God is still wanting to work in our lives.
God is still wanting to do things through us.
God is still wanting to change us and mold us and shame us after the image of his son
until we all become, you know, come into the, you know, the perfect man.
That's something that takes place over a lifetime.
Now, if you would, go over to Colossians.
Keep something in Ephesians.
We're going to come back, but go over to Colossians chapter number three.
He said in Ephesians chapter one verse 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
So this is one of the first things that Paul prayed for when he said,
hey, I'm praying for you and, you know, here's what I'm praying for.
That God would give you wisdom and knowledge in the revelation, a revelation in the knowledge of him.
He wanted them to gain wisdom.
And he's saying, look, and you can't have it because God, you know, his power is to us-ward.
It's not like God's hand is slack now.
It's not like he raised Christ from the dead and now he's just so exhausted he can't do anything else for us.
You know, there's no end to his power.
He can still work in our lives.
That's why these things are available to us.
That's why it says we may, meaning we might.
It's possible.
It's not guaranteed though, but that's not because of God.
That's not God's fault if we don't take advantage of these things.
And he prayed that they would have the knowledge, the wisdom, the wisdom and the revelation in the knowledge of him.
Look at verse 16 of, excuse me, Colossians chapter 3.
It says in verse 16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.
You say, well, where am I going to get the knowledge of the revelation?
Where am I going to get that?
Where am I going to get wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him?
How is that prayer going to be answered in my life?
Paul's praying for that and the Ephesians, they didn't just wake up one morning and have all that.
You can want to know those things, but you're going to have to do that through the word of God.
It's not going to be some supernatural thing where God just takes over.
You're not just going to download this information.
You're not just going to download an app on your phone and all of a sudden you have wisdom in your life and how to conduct your life.
How do you live your life as you ought to?
Those things are contained in the word of God.
You say, wait a minute, this is resurrection Sunday.
This is Easter.
What are you preaching about?
Well, the reason I'm going here and making more practical applications is because of the fact that,
yeah, we could talk about the resurrection and thank God for the resurrection.
Thank God that his power was displayed.
That God could raise one from the dead.
That Christ has risen again for our justification.
Thank God for that.
But it doesn't end there.
And we can't just come to church on Sunday and show up on Easter and then just ignore God the rest of the year.
And expect to have these things in our life.
And if we're lacking these things, if we're lacking knowledge, if we're lacking understanding,
if we're lacking wisdom, if we don't know what it is that God wants for us, that's our fault.
Because his power is still to us, word, who believes it.
According to the power of resurrection.
I mean, if you think about the resurrection and the power that God showed in raising Christ from the dead,
you say, well, what else can God do for me?
If God can redeem my soul from hell, what else can he do for me?
Well, he can do a lot of things, but he can't help me know how to live my life.
He can't help me to know how to raise my kids or how to have a good marriage
or what it is that he wants for me to do for him on this earth.
How to serve him.
He can't help me in those areas because he's too weak.
Yeah, sure, he can raise Christ from the dead.
I mean, we hang our hat on that.
We hang our hat on the resurrection.
Well, if we're saved, we're trusting in the resurrection of Christ.
The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
That's when we hang our hat on.
We say, I'm going to put my eternal soul in the trust that God has raised Christ from the dead.
That I'm justified.
But then we turn around and we go, but the rest of my life, you know, my life here on earth,
well, God can't help me with that.
It's either that's how we think or maybe we just don't want God's help.
Maybe we just think, well, I got it, God.
I mean, I know I was bound for hell.
I know that there was nothing I could do to get saved by my own merit.
I know you had to go through all that and I appreciate it.
But, you know, I got it from here.
I know I'm on my way to heaven, but I'll take it from here as far as living my life.
I don't need your help.
The fact is that we do need his help.
You know, we want to just think about the resurrection and how great that is and amen.
But what I'm trying to get across this morning is that that same God is still on the throne.
That same God, that same powerful and mighty God who could raise Christ from the dead
still wants to work in your life.
Still wants to show his mighty power to us who believe.
That's what Paul was praying there.
That's the context where he brought the resurrection up.
Hey, I want you to have knowledge. I want you to have understanding. I want you to have wisdom.
I want you to have hope. I want you to have to know the inheritance that you have.
I want you to know all these things and you can know them. They're available because God is mighty.
God is powerful. God still wants to work in your life.
But again, it's not going to just be this automatic thing.
You know, you have to put in the effort. You have to want it. You have to make that happen.
You can't just go to bed at night and lay your head on your pillow and slip the Bible underneath of it
and expect to wake up in the morning and somehow by osmosis learn the word of God.
You know, I'm just going to listen to it in my sleep. It's not going to work.
You're actually going to have to perk up and crack open the Bible and drag your eyes across the page
until you start to get an attention span and learn something from the word of God.
That's what it's going to take.
You say, well, I thought God was just going to do that for me.
Well, you know, he's preserved his word. That was pretty powerful.
You know, it's still his power that's giving you the Holy Spirit to know all truth, to be guided into all truth.
God is still helping you with that.
Verse 16, he says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Let it happen.
Meaning don't prevent it. Well, who would do that? Lots of people.
Certainly not God's children. Sure they would.
They would not let the word of Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdom.
And say, I don't have time to read the Bible. I don't have time to go to church.
I don't have time for the preaching of the word of God.
You know what you're doing? You're not letting the word of God, Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom.
That's what you're doing.
And God's sitting on the throne going, I've got this power. You know, I could help you with that.
If you read my word, I would guide you in all truth. His power is still to us we're to believe.
We would have revelation in the knowledge of him if we would read his word. We have the Holy Spirit.
But we don't.
And then we scratch our heads and we wonder why we're suffering in some area.
Why our marriage isn't what it's supposed to be. Why our children aren't what we want them to be.
Why our finances aren't what we want them to be. Why it is we feel unfulfilled in life.
We don't understand what we're doing here. What's the point?
We look at the things that are taking place in the world and we bite our nails and we fret and we worry.
Because we don't understand. Because we're not letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly with all wisdom.
And God is still mighty to us we're to believe. His power is still there if we would let this happen.
We could still have the knowledge of him.
Now keep something there if you would in Colossians we'll come back a little bit later.
But if you would please go to James chapter 1. James chapter 1 of course is a really familiar passage.
We've probably heard it a million times. You know of course I'm exaggerating.
But we've heard it over and over again.
I'm starting to wonder why I'm starting to think actually the reason why this gets preached so much.
Is because people just don't get it. Because they don't take advantage of it. They understand it.
But they don't avail themselves to it.
You know the power of God is mighty to us we're to believe. It's still there.
According to his working when he raised Christ from the dead that same degree of power is still toward us.
That same powerful God still wants to work in our life. It's available. It's ready.
We may have these things if we want them.
Look at James chapter 1 verse 5. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God.
What do you say in Colossians? Let the word of God dwell on you richly with all wisdom.
If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally.
I mean isn't that what Christ said? That if we being evil know how to give good gifts unto our children how much more shall our Heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to them that ask him?
It's available to us.
Oh I know you died for me. I know you went and died on the cross and you were resurrected.
But I'm not going to ask for that because you won't give me anything else. That's it. That's all I can expect from God.
No that's not true.
If you lack wisdom let him ask from God that giveth to all men and abraitheth not and it shall be given him.
You know if you went in prayer if you read the Bible if you were sincere and you went to God and said Lord I need wisdom.
You would get it. It's available. It's there. You could have it.
So then we have to scratch our heads and go well why is it that so many Christians don't have it?
They make decisions and they do things and their priorities are so out of whack that it lacks wisdom.
It's because they're not asking. It's because they don't want it.
It's not because God's saying well I'm not going to give that to you. It says let him ask of God to give it to all men liberally.
You know he's not being stingy with it. You know we use that term liberally a little different today right.
But he's being very liberal. He's being what we would think of the word you know charitably.
And that's why we use it for liberals right because they love to be charitable with other people's money.
That's another message. But if you want to give to all men liberally hey he'll pour out a blessing upon you and abraitheth not.
It's not like God you ask God for wisdom you say how dare you ask that of me.
What do you think I am. You think I'm just here to just give you you know wisdom and whenever you ask for it.
Well that's what your word says. He abraitheth not. That's not what he's going to say.
Well I believe Lord that your power is still to us word. It's toward us.
That's still mighty power that you wrought in Christ is still wanting to work in our lives today.
And if we would ask wisdom from God he would give it to us and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith it says in verse six nothing wavering for he that waver is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
He goes on and says for let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Go to Chapter four look at verse one.
You know these verses it says in verse one from whence come wars and fightings among you come that hence even of your own lust that war on your members.
You lust and you have not and kill and you desire to have and cannot obtain you fight in war yet you have not.
Why? Because you ask not.
Look God his power is still mighty to us word who believe.
But the only reason we don't have that wisdom.
The only reason we don't have that understanding and the revelation and the knowledge of him is because we don't ask for it.
It's not because his power isn't mighty to us word believe.
It is mighty toward us who believe.
God is still powerful.
God still wants to work in our life.
We have not because we ask not.
Oh I want to hear about the resurrection.
Amen. It's great.
I love the resurrection.
It's going to take me to heaven.
The death barrel and resurrection.
We'll trust our soul to that.
But we won't ask God for wisdom and how to live our life.
It makes no sense.
Or we'll ask God for wisdom and say well what does God want?
And then we'll find out and then we'll say oh I don't know about that.
And then you know what you are?
You're driven with every wind of the sea.
You're unstable in all your ways.
Because you know what it is that God wants.
You know what his word says.
You know what his wisdom is.
But then you want to do things your own way.
You want to do things according to the world's philosophy.
You know spiritually if you could look at some people.
Some Christians they got one foot in the world.
You know they're like this.
And they got one foot you know in God's way.
This is how they're trying to live their life.
Looks ridiculous doesn't it?
But spiritually if we could look at you that's exactly what you look like.
This is how you're trying to live your Christian life.
I don't know why I'm not getting very far.
Trying to walk like this.
You know I'm trying to get over here.
Well why don't you just get up where God wants you.
Get on that higher ground.
It's pretty easy and I don't look like an idiot doing it.
Right?
You know that's just to illustrate that's spiritually how some people live their lives as Christians.
They're double minded.
They're unstable in all their ways.
I mean how hard do you think it's going to be to push me over standing like this?
Let's find out. No I'm just kidding.
That's the point I want to make this morning.
Is that you know the resurrection is powerful.
But that same power that same mighty God.
You know it's not like he rose Christ from the dead and just said well I'm done for now.
Until the return of Christ. Let's just see what happens.
Let's just see how this all plays out.
He's saying no I'll still give wisdom. I'll still give knowledge. I'll still give understanding.
I'll give you my word. You can read it. You can know my will.
I'll give them my Holy Spirit. I'll fill them.
And I'll guide them into all truth.
That's what's available to us today through the resurrection.
And it's available but that doesn't necessarily mean that we all take advantage of it.
Although we should.
Let me go back to Colossians.
Colossians chapter 3.
Look at verse 15 he said.
So he saw first of all let the word of Christ dwell in you. Right?
Let the word of Christ dwell in you in all wisdom.
Paul's prayer for the Ephesians is that they would have understanding and revelation of the knowledge of him.
Well that you get that through God's word through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The other thing he prayed for is that they would know the glory of the inheritance.
That they would know the hope of his calling. Right?
Well the same thing in Colossians.
Look at verse 15.
And let, there it is again, let this happen. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
To the which you also are called in one body and be thankful.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
And it's interesting how you see these two things are tied together.
The peace of God and the word of Christ.
You see it here, you saw it back in Ephesians.
Knowledge in him is associated with hope.
I mean people who don't read God's word.
People who aren't meditating on and aren't reading the Bible like they should.
Who aren't hearing the preaching of the word of God.
It's no wonder that they fret over the things that they see going on in the world.
Look if the only thing I ever watched was the news from any outlet, I don't care who.
Your liberal media outlets, your conservative media outlets, your truther media outlets.
You know I would be a very anxious and unpeaceful person as well.
You know if I spent my time just you know taking in some kind of news media from wherever.
Rather than getting in the word of God.
You know I would be a pretty manic person myself.
You know let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
How? Through the word of Christ.
Through the Bible.
Through the Holy Spirit.
Through the power of God.
Ask God for it.
I don't want to ask him, he might tell me to turn off the television and open up my Bible.
He might tell me to log off the internet or whatever.
Not read that blog.
Not go to that website and spend hours going down the rabbit hole of whatever.
And then coming out the other end just vexed by what's going on in the world.
It is vexing.
That's why I choose to ignore it.
Oh I can't believe it, you're so uninformed.
Let me guess, there's a problem with the economy.
Let me guess, the Republicans and the Democrats are still fighting.
Am I pretty on the mark? There's still a sky high inflation, right?
There's probably conflict in the Middle East.
Is that still going on?
It's in Ukraine now, right?
Isn't there just some big massacre over there in Israel?
You know what, you can stop watching for ten years and pick it up again, it'd be the same narrative.
It'd be the same narrative. Different names, maybe different places.
And there'd still be people just...
Christians...
What's happening?
Why don't I have any peace?
What's going on?
These gas prices!
The economy!
Meanwhile, those of us that are just in the Word of God are just...
Well I've got the peace of God ruling in my heart.
Because God's power is still mighty to us, Word, who believe.
He said, let the peace of God rule in your heart.
Go to Isaiah chapter 26.
Isaiah chapter number 26.
We all know this one.
We might even have this memorized.
This might even be a verse that we quote from time to time.
Isaiah 26 and verse 3, it says,
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.
We like that first part, don't we?
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace.
I'm going to paint that on the wall and get some calligraphy up there.
Put it right above the dining room table.
It's so sweet.
And amen.
The peace of God passeth all understanding.
It's great.
But notice here that this peace comes at a price, doesn't it?
There's something you have to do if you want the peace of God that passeth all understanding.
If you want to be kept in perfect peace, well, there's something you've got to do.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.
Whose mind is stayed on thee.
Instead of just letting everything the devil wants, everything the world wants to just fill our minds with,
and just wind us up over whatever issue,
instead of doing that, we should just keep our minds stayed on him.
Stayed on thee because what? He trusted in thee.
There's that faith again.
Go over to Psalms 37.
Psalms chapter number 37.
In Psalms 37, beginning in verse 1, it says,
Fret not thyself because of evildoers,
neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity,
for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
Yeah, but don't you know what this cabal's doing over here,
and this secret society's doing over there,
what the Democrats are doing here, and the Republicans have done?
Don't you know what all these evil workers of iniquity are doing?
Well, they shall soon be cut down like grass and wither as the green herb.
You know, it's like they're going to wilt like a salad that's been left on the counter a little too long.
How long does that take?
Anybody eat salad here?
It doesn't take long, does it?
You just leave that salad out at room temperature, just whoop.
It's going to turn brown and stink in a couple days.
It's going to be inedible.
I'm trying to eat more salad.
The problem is I eat it, so I don't know how long it takes to wilt.
My wife tells me she's got to throw it out after a few days.
They're going to wither as the green herb.
So why would I, rather than keep staying my mind on Him and trusting in Him
and having His peace, being kept in perfect peace, complete peace,
why would I give that up to fret about evildoers
and to be envious against the workers of iniquity?
They're going to be cut down like grass.
I mean, it's just great terminology the Bible's using here.
It's a great illustration.
I mean, how hard is it to cut grass?
We wouldn't know because we don't have any.
But I'm from Michigan. Trust me, it's not that hard.
We have grass there.
Trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily, thou shalt be fed.
Period.
You know, trust God.
His power is still mighty toward us-ward who believe.
How do you know that? Because of the resurrection.
If He could do that, why can't He keep me in perfect peace?
Delight thyself also, Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of the Lord.
Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust also in Him,
and He shall bring it to pass, and He shall bring forth thy righteousness as a light
and thy judgment as a new day.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
Fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in His way,
because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
You know, that's a commandment. Fret not thyself.
Don't sit there and fret about wicked people who do wicked things.
And it's interesting, it goes on in verse 8, cease from anger.
Because that's what you're going to do.
You know, if you sit there and just dwell on that stuff and everything that's going wrong in the world,
you know what you're going to end up being? An angry person.
Angry.
It's going to make you mad. And I'm not saying it's unjustified.
I mean, isn't there plenty to get angry about in our country today?
The Sodomites, the abortion, the sin.
I mean, we could just go on and on over the iniquity that's in our world.
But you know, we would just end up angry people.
Look, there's a time and place to be angry about it.
But that's not how you want to live your life.
That's not how I want to live my life.
You know, I would rather have the perfect peace.
Verse 9, for evildoers shall be cut off, but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth.
You know, let them have their fun.
Let them have their moment in the sun.
Let them have their 15 minutes, whatever.
They're going to be cut off. God's going to do it.
It's going to be like mowing his lawn and then we're going to inherit the earth.
Well, how do you know that?
Because of his mighty power to us-ward who believe.
Because of the resurrection.
Yeah, I believe God raised Christ from the dead, but I don't know that he can do anything about these wicked evildoers in the world.
I don't know if he could give me the peace that passeth on. I don't know if he could do that.
Is it that you don't believe that or is that because you just don't want to stay your mind on him?
Is it just because you just don't want to trust in him?
Is it because you don't want to hold up your end of the bargain?
Or is it that you just don't believe that God can?
Look, if you don't believe that God can give you peace, that God can give you wisdom, then how is it that you can believe the resurrection?
I mean, if you can believe that, it should be easy to believe the rest of it.
But the reason why people struggle is because that's where the rubber meets the road for them.
That's where they have to start holding up their end of the bargain.
Go over to John 16. I mean, that was Paul's prayer for the Ephesians.
That they would know the inheritance that they have.
That they would have the hope that God wants to give them according to his mighty power.
Look at the last verse of John 16, verse 33.
These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. Emphasis on might.
You might have peace. You might. It's not guaranteed.
God can give it to you. God may give you peace.
But what do you have to do?
Stay your mind on him. Trust in him. Not fret about evil doers.
Let the word of God dwell in you richly with all wisdom.
He said, look, in me you shall have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation.
You might have peace. In me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation.
But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
Brother Corbin, why don't you just spend more time preaching against the Federal Reserve or something important like that?
I mean, tax day is tomorrow. Why don't you preach about that?
Why don't you get all worked up about all this inflation?
All this fake money they're printing. Because Christ has overcome the world.
I'm just passing time. I'm just counting down the days, folks, until all that comes to an end and Christ returns.
Where did I have you go? John 33. I didn't have you go anywhere after that, did I?
Go back to Ephesians 1.
No, I'm sorry. Go back to Colossians. That's what I meant to do. Colossians chapter number 2.
Colossians chapter number 2.
Look at verse 13.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he hath quickened together with him, have forgiven you all trespasses.
Look, if you're saved, it's because you believe that. That he has forgiven you all trespasses. Past, present, and future.
That he has nailed all of them to his cross. Verse 14. And we do. We say amen to that. We believe that. We're saved.
I mean, we just trust that. But then we want to shortchange God and his ability to help us in our life.
Verse 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers.
Christ spoiled principalities and powers when he died on the cross. When he nailed all those things to his cross.
And he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
I mean, the resurrection should just tell us, more than anything, that Christ, you know, that God's won. That the battle's over.
I mean, I understand, you know, that we still have struggles. We still have an adversary and all of that. That things still have to play out.
But it says he's made a show of them openly. He's already triumphed over them. Isn't it?
Through his cross, through his death, burial, and resurrection, the triumph is there. The victory's already won.
So stop fretting. Know the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Because of his power that is mighty to us who believe through the resurrection.
Go over to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter number 1. Begin reading in verse 2, it says,
2 Peter 1 verse 2, Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things.
So there it is again. That divine power that is mighty to us. That power that raised Christ from the dead. That power of God.
It's not just limited to the resurrection. His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
Through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped.
And that's past tense. Having escaped. Why don't you spend more time, you know, talking about the things that Alex Jones talks about.
The prison planet, brother. Have you bought us iodine? Do you have the t-shirt, the latest documentary? Why don't you talk about the prison planet?
Because I've already escaped this planet. I'm already free. Christ has already triumphed it. His power has already been put on display in the resurrection.
He's triumphed over all those things. He's spoiled principalities and powers. And I'm not just going to feed into this garbage, especially when all those people are interested in it with my money.
That's really all that, you know, at the end of the day, everyone's just trying to sell something. That's what I've noticed. You want to know who you can trust on the internet? Find the guy who's just giving stuff away for free.
You know, and you can apply that to, you know, news. You can apply that to health. You can apply that to so many areas. Everyone's got an angle, right?
And that's, you know, in the diet world, right? In the diet world, what's that? In the diet world, you know, they'll have all this great advice, but then they'll say, hey, you know, really, you should just be getting a lot of wheat grass.
And did I mention I sell wheat grass? And it's like, oh, okay. And then, you know, a lot of the things they might be saying are true. Same thing in anything.
They might be speaking a lot of truth. They might be pointing out, oh, yeah, you know, we are really are being led by a bunch of satanic pedophiles.
But if you buy my iodine, if you get my, you know, bug out bag, you know, if you buy our brand of ammunition, whatever.
Look, I've just opted out all that when I realized like Christ is already triumphed over all those things and I've already escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. I'm free already.
So I'd rather just stay my mind on him. I'd rather just let the word of God dwell richly in all wisdom and let his power continue to work toward me mightily in my life.
And let him just keep me in peace. Let him just continue to bless me all the way to heaven. And, you know, the world can just go to hell in a handbasket.
And that's what they're going to do. There's nothing I can do to stop it. No matter how good the iodine might be.
So go back to Ephesians. We'll close there back in Ephesians chapter number one.
What was the point of the sermon? You know, you came to hear a sermon about the resurrection, right?
Look, his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.
You know, that mighty power was wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and he just made a show of those things openly. He triumphed over them.
And he went on, it says there, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
And it put all things under his feet and gave him to behead over all things to the church, which is the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
I mean, yeah, the resurrection is amazing. The power that God showed when he wrought in Christ, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.
And then went on and, you know, the ascension into heaven and he's sitting on the right hand of the Father and he's going to come back and put all things under his feet.
It's a mighty power. You know what? That mighty power, the resurrection didn't happen and then go on pause until then, until the world to come.
He didn't hit the pause button on the power, folks. That power is still what? Verse 19, exceeding greatness of his power to us, word who believe.
That power is still working toward us. He said he got us saved. And you know what? He still wants us to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge of him.
He still wants us to know the hope of his calling and the riches of his glory with inheritance in his saints.
You know, that's the power that's still working toward us today. The power of the resurrection.
You know, God's power didn't stop. And it's available to all of us, isn't it? We may have it. We could have it if we wanted it.
You know, so ask yourself, you know, is that mighty power working in your life? And if not, you know, you might have some business to do with God.
You know, sometimes people get into sin and they just think, well, God, that's it. God's not going to answer any more prayers. You know, and that's true.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord shall not hear my prayer. But if we confess our sins and forsake our sins, we'll have mercy.
You know, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So we still have that promise. You know, start there. Lord, I know I've been backslidden. I haven't been reading your word.
And look, I'm not saying, you know, when you say, oh, people got into sin, people instantly think that it's like some, you know, immoral sin that I'm talking about.
I'm just talking a sin as simple as, you know, you know, you haven't been reading your Bible. You know, that's a sin.
You haven't been praying. You haven't been in church. You're not winning souls. You're not living for the Lord.
You're not doing all these things that pertain into life and godliness that he's given to us. You know, start there and then say, but Lord, you know, work in my life.
Give me that wisdom. Give me that knowledge. Give me that understanding. Give me that peace that passeth all understanding.
And he will give it to you if your mind has stayed on him and if you trust in him, because that is the power that is still working mightily toward us who believe.
Let's pray. Dear Lord, again, thank you for the resurrection. Thank you for that great power, Lord, that you showed to the world, Lord, when you rose Christ from the dead and you raised him from the dead.
That you triumphed over those things. You made a show of them openly and that you've already put all things under your feet.
That you've spoiled principalities and powers through the resurrection and nothing can stop that. Nothing can ever change that.
And Lord, I pray just help us as God's people to understand that that same power is toward us. That you still want to work in our life.
That you still want to guide us and lead us and to give us peace and to give us wisdom and knowledge.
Lord, I pray help us to avail ourselves of that, Lord, that we would be found, Lord, in you and walking in your spirit. We ask in Christ's name, Amen.
Alright, we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we go.
What's up, number heroes? Song number 31.
Song number 31, He Lives.
Song number 32, He Lives.
Song number 33, He Lives.
Song number 34, He Lives.
Song number 35, He Lives.
Song number 36, He Lives.
Song number 37, He Lives.
I love you.