Easter 2026

Man, Man, I don't know about you, but if that don't get you excited about what God's doing, then I'll know. What will. I generally try not to cry, and so I try to not cry. But, man, when you see people celebrate what Jesus has done, man, you can't help yourselves. Why is Easter such a big deal?

Like, why is this such a big deal? Why do we clap? Why do we cheer? Why do we celebrate these truths? You know, Christmas is great.

I love Christma, by the way. Like, my love language is gifts. You want to, like, bless me, just give me a really nice gift. I love Christmas for that reason. But here's the reality is every single one of us has a birthday.

Like, every single one of us was born, but not every single one of us was risen from the dead by themselves. Christmas is awesome. I love it. We'll always celebrate Christmas, but Christmas just points us to Easter. Easter is the reason we have our faith.

Theologian by the name of Clarence W. Hall said this, that the resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all his people. Death is no longer a prisoner, but a passage into God's presence. Easter says that you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. Amen. Resurrection Sunday means everything changes.

I don't know if you came in here feeling hopeless. I don't know if you came in here discouraged. I don't know if you came in here because you're like, yo, somebody tricked me into this thing, thought we were going to go to brunch. And they're like, we got to make one stop. They sent you this address.

And you're like, I'm here.

I just want you to know, man, that if Jesus has risen from the dead, then anything's possible. Some of you came in here and you're just feeling defeated. But because of the gospel, because of Christ, you can see the impossible happen. That's why this whole thing exists. That's why we do what we do here.

And I want for every single person in our city to know Jesus in this way, because it's our perfect reminder of the great exchange that happened 2,000 years ago, that Jesus substituted his life for ours, paid the debt of our sin that we should have paid, and rose again in victory. In the Gospel of John, chapter 19, we read these words.

It says, then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and clothed him in a purple robe. And they kept coming to him and saying, hail, King of the Jews, and were slapping his face. Pilate went outside again and said to them, look, I'm bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no grounds for charging him. Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thrones and his purple robe.

And Pilate said to them, here is the man. And when the chief priests and the temple servants saw him, they shouted, crucify. Crucify him. I don't know if you came here ready to take notes, but if you are, write this down. That the cross was the worst thing to happen to the best person who ever lived.

That the cross was the worst thing to happen to the best person who ever lived. When you think about John chapter 19, you think about Holy Week and you think about earlier in the week, what happened. Jesus goes into Jerusalem and they're crying out to him, hosanna. Hosanna, which means he is mighty and powerful to save. And they cheered him on because they thought that he was going to redeem and reconcile them to the Romans.

They thought he was going to be this political king that was going to come in and overthrow the Romans and restore things. And so they cried out hosanna to him. But then a few days later, he goes from hosanna to crucify. Crucify him.

A couple years ago, my family and I watched the Passion of the Christ with our kids. Just wanted a glimpse of what truly occurred to Jesus in this. That the beatings he endured, the crucifixion that he endured. The movie just kind of served as this reminder that it wasn't just this kind of like fairy tale story, but a very real story. And when you think about as the crowds cried, crucify him.

And then in John 19, it just simply says that Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. That that unpacks something far greater than just a few words. When you look at how the Romans would punish people, flogging was one of the most cruel forms of punishment. That a person was beaten with sticks as he laid hunched over a rock, beaten with a whip that had nine tails, that at the end of it had glass, shredded metal, and metal balls. They said that you couldn't do that to a man 40 times because if you flogged him 40 times, then he would die.

So they were merciful and only hit him.39 and says Pilate had him flogged. And it says that they put a crown of thorns on him and a purple robe. It was their way for the Romans to make a mockery of the Savior of The world. And then they crucified him. I know some of our pictures depict the cross up on a hill.

But what would happen traditionally in Roman punishment is they would actually crucify you in the public square, that they would put you eye level with every person in the city. It was to publicly humiliate you. It was so that everyone could see and make a mockery. And they would strip you naked, bare, full of shame, so that all these people could see this. And they would hang you in a position to where you would have to work hard to breathe.

And every breath in and out was agonizing pain. And so when we read the scriptures in John 19, says they had him flogged and then crucified, this is what happened. But remarkably, though, as they crucified Jesus, he stood there silent in his suffering. This is what the prophet Isaiah said in the Old Testament, that he would be the suffering servant. But get your minds around this for a moment.

That when we read the Gospel of John, it starts with him saying that the word became flesh, that this was literally God in the flesh, being crucified, being humiliated, being beaten, being punished as God himself. As we watched the Passion of the Cross, I was able to just visualize how remarkable Jesus posture and demeanor was as he faced insults even in the midst of his crucifixion. What do we see Jesus do? But he cries out, father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. If you want to know what grace looks like, that's grace.

As the Romans beat him and hurled insults at him. The king of kings with his arms stretched out is still granting forgiveness upon these people, right? We talked about on Good Friday that the centurion man who was there to execute Jesus, even he comes to his senses and says, this is the Son of God. As you ponder the crucified Jesus this morning, I need to remind you that it should have been us. Because the Bible says that the wages of sin is death.

Write this down. Not only did Jesus suffer, but he died. And he did not just die for us, but he died instead of us. Every single one of us owes God a debt. But our debt was removed and paid in full by Christ himself.

This is what Philip Paul Bliss says in the song man of Sorrows. He says, bearing shame and scoffing, rude in my place. Condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah. What a savior.

See, it was our inability to pay that price for our sin, but it was paid in full by good and gracious God. Amen. We should have been the ones on that cross, we should have been the ones punished for our sins. But because God is so good and so kind and so gracious, he willingly substituted his life for you and I. Now, I don't know your religious background, I don't know your faith background, but there's not a lot of religions out there that says the King himself steps down and into our space and takes on our debt, takes on our judgment for his love for you.

Pastor Tim Keller said this once, that I am so bad that Jesus had to die, yet I am so loved that Jesus was glad to die for me. You know, like, I'm so sinful and flawed, but yet equally loved. Rebelled against him once his enemy, but yet he brings us near and calls us sons and daughters. What other God would do that, my friends? What other Savior is there other than Jesus today?

This is what makes it so remarkable that the God we're in debt to pay the debt for us. This is why I love on the gospel accounts, when Jesus yields his spirit to the Father, he just cries out the words, it is finished.

What does that mean? It means that there's no more penalty left to be paid for your sin and my sin. That when Jesus was on the cross, when the wrath of God was placed on him, your sins, past, present, future sin, all nailed to Jesus, all paid in full right then and there, buried in a tomb. And then he shows he's more powerful than it by his resurrection. That means all our sins, Right.

For some of you, your mindset is that there's this collections agency. You ever get one of those phone calls? Yeah. Like personally, just kind of in the spirit of honesty, right? Like, we owe this bill and they keep calling me and I just keep forgetting to pay.

It should probably do that one day. You know, there's no heavenly collection agency out there for you, right? Like when he says, it is finished, it was done. That means all your past sins, you know, the thing that you're trying to run from, the thing you wish you never did, the thing that just kind of haunts you at night, buried in the tomb, my friends, you know, the thing you're struggling with right now, the thing that you just can't seem to, like, break out of, it just seems like you just keep going back to the sin. Guess what?

That sin was paid for. And then the gospel declares to you and I today that all of your sin in your future was already dealt with at the cross. My friends, like, you talk about some good news that's a good and gracious and kind Savior, my friends. Because when I got saved, I was 17, and I was like, man, that's very remarkable. Christ saved me for 17 years of sin.

But, man, I'm going into my 40s now, and there are still years in which I will rebel against him. But yet the cross is that powerful, my friends. Paul Tripp said, easter means you can put the past on the cross and leave it there. It means you don't have to be a prisoner of your past mistakes, sins and failures. So if you're here and you're like, why are these people clapping so much?

Why are they cheering so much? Because, man, we really believe this because we have been people who have been set free. We are people who have experienced this grace. Now, there's two people I want to talk to today. And you might identify and fall in one of these categories.

Some of you are delayers, and some of you are doubters. Some of you are delayers, and some of you are doubters today. But I just want you to know, man, you are welcomed at the cross this morning. Here's what I mean by a delayer is you could be somewhat religious or not. You could have this mindset, hey, one day I'll get serious about these things.

Hey, there'll be a day later on. You know, like, a lot of you, you're like, hey, once I start having kids, should probably start coming back to church. You're a delayer. Or maybe for some of you, you're like, no, I'm just having way too much fun right now. Like, I'm just having way too much fun.

I'm living my best life right now. Apart from him. Some of you, you would fall in the category of saying, I just don't need him. I've got this. Like, I'm a pretty decent person, do enough good, do some charity thing, right?

Check this church thing off. Today, I'm a delayer. For some of you, you're like, hey, I'm just going to figure it out when I get there. I want to share a very real warning with you. In the Book of James, chapter four, he writes this.

He says, come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life for? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then it vanishes. Those of you that would say, hey, I'm just a delayer.

I'm gonna eventually get there. I'm just gonna challenge you. Why not Today, like, why keep delaying the life that God has promised you? This is where in John 10:10 it says, for the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come so that they might have life and have it abundantly.

That what you're looking for. We're like, hey, one day I'm gonna figure this out. One day I'm gonna, like, kind of get right with God, man. He offers you a life right now that you couldn't even dare to imagine, right? Like, when I think about what Christ has done in my life, I'm just like, it's an amazing journey.

And I would say, why keep delaying this thing? Let me show you how fast things could turn in a moment. So a good friend of mine, Michael Smith, one of the healthiest guys I know. Like, you ever seen the King David statue before? You're like, that's what a man looks like.

Like, this was Michael Smith, healthiest guy I know. Worked out every day, personal trainer, eat clean or eats clean. Took care of his body. We would vacation together. We would do pastor cohorts together.

I'd be like, hey, man, you're on vacation. You want some brownies? And he'd be like, no, Can I tempt you with these cookies? These cookies, they're like, all natural, vegan, organic, all the stuff. Eat them.

He's like, healthiest man I know. Last Tuesday, has a heart attack.

Tuesday of last week. And in my mind, I'm like, this is the healthiest dude I know. Life is but a vapor. Last Tuesday, I read Instagram and see this Wednesday and Thursday pass by. I'm like, michael's fine.

Strongest guy I know. Wife updates his Instagram account. Hey, Mike is unconscious right now. And I'm thinking, still, Mike's the strongest guy I know. He'll be fine.

Any moment, he'll wake up totally fine, not even sweating this one, not even nervous about it. Friday happens. I wake up, my wife and I go to the Salt Lake City airport because I'm flying to Bozeman, Montana, to go preach for a good friend of mine. And I open my phone and I'm scrolling Caron Bridge over and over again. Literally just on my phone, just refreshing it.

Because I'll just. At any point, it's going to say, michael's awake. And then I'm going to go fly to New York, and I'm going to go see him and say, dude, what happened? Friday happens. I go to sit down for dinner, and these are the words I read.

After further testing, the doctors have confirmed that Michael will not recover while his heart remains strong. The MRI has shown that his brain has suffered irreversible damage. There's no path forward for healing in the way we had all been praying for. And in the coming days, he will be taken off life support that is currently sustaining his body. It's Friday night.

This is literally a week from yesterday or from Friday. Devastated, but still filled with hope. Still filled with hope. Praying God, I know you can, but will you? I know you can do this.

Even when I read that, I'm still praying. I'm like, God, you can miraculously heal this brother in an instant. Prayed that over and over again. Sunday morning, I get up says the transplant team has started processing Michael's final wish to be an organ donor. He's scheduled to have surgery by the transplant team tomorrow.

10am Monday at 2:12, Michael Smith went to be with the Lord.

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life for? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Two weeks ago, I'm on a Zoom call with Michael. Two weeks ago, just after March 15, we hop on text and just begin texting each other because Michael and I have been walking with each other for some two and a half years.

Like, we became friends about five or six years ago. But two and a half years ago, he calls me and he's like, hey, man, I'm planting a church in Acts 29. And so I began coaching Michael. And then all of a sudden, we're texting back and forth because he shuts his church plate down. Interviews for another church.

They say no. He calls me some months ago and is like, hey, this church just asked me to be their pastor. March 15, the dude gets up to preach at the Sherman Church. They vote on him to be his pastor. And so I'm just scrolling through my phone, reading our text messages, and this is us two, three weeks ago.

My friends, this is me. It's been a joy to watch a story of God through you guys. Mike. He's so faithful, man. Life is sure to be hard, but he works through it all.

I read it, I hear it. But as I get older, I see it. Me. Amen. All day, life is but a vapor.

Here's Michael Smith texting about the faithfulness of God, seeing it in his life. But now, right now, at this very moment, because the scripture says that to be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord. So Michael Smith right now is sitting at the throne of the King of kings in all, all his glory. Fully healed, fully known, fully present with the Lord. And he is a reminder to me to beg some of you, why are you going to keep delaying the inevitable?

Because here's what the scripture says, that every knee will bow to Jesus as king. You're either going to do it willingly or forced one day. And here's Michael's pleading with you. Am I perplexed? Yeah.

Am I just frustrated and angry with the Lord? No. Is my heart full of sorrow? Yes. But it's equally full of awe because I know where he's at.

Don't delay saying yes to Jesus. I could tell you person after person who was baptized today, man, just where God has been. And their story has been remarkable. The book of Hebrews says, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Let today be the day that you fully believe in the God of the Bible.

So some of you are delayers, but some of you are like, hey, I'm not. I'm not really hostile at all. I'm not indifferent. I'm not, like, angry. I don't have this angst.

I'm not, like, trying to live my best life apart from God. I'm just in the spot where, man, my heart's just kind of full of doubts here. I don't really understand this. It doesn't make sense to me. How is salvation by grace alone?

Like, that's a big one to ask, right? When Jesus says, hey, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone and Christ alone. And you're like, yeah, but what do I get to contribute? How do I keep this thing Causes doubt in my heart for a moment. You're not alone.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verse 24, we see a guy named Thomas. Let me read. It says, now, Thomas, one of the 12 called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, we have seen the Lord. But he said to them, unless I see his hands, the marks of the nails, and place my finger and the marks of the nails in my place and place my hand into his sides, I will never.

So here's Thomas, one of the disciples. Everybody's like, man, Jesus is alive, bro. Thomas. Like, I ain't seen him yet. And I'm not going to believe it until I literally touch his side and put my hand on his wrist.

It says, verse 26. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. And then he said to Thomas, put your fingers here. See my My hands.

Put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. And Thomas answered him, my Lord and my God. And Jesus said to him, have you believed because you've seen me? Blessed are those who had not seen, yet have believed.

So if you're a doubter today, I don't think you need to be afraid to take your doubt to Jesus this morning. Here's what I love about this text is, here's Thomas. Like, I don't know if he's just, like, kind of, like, fronting a little bit. If he's trying to flex on his other disciples. He's like, unless I see him, I think Thomas is like, hey.

And there's a guy in the Bible where he's like, help my unbelief. I don't know if that's where Thomas is at this morning. If he's like, hey, unless I see him, then I'll believe. And then Jesus comes to him. And for some of you in your doubts, you're thinking that the moment you start vocalizing these doubts, God's just gonna, like, strike you down or cast you off.

But what does God do with Thomas? He sees him, says, hey, come here. He doesn't push them away, but he brings them in. I love that God sees you today, and he sees the doubts you have. But Thomas also goes and he answers, my Lord and my God.

And then Jesus says, hey, have you believed because you've seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen, but yet believe.

You see doubt at times in the Bible, right? You think about when Jesus died, What did the disciples do for three years, he walks with them. Three years. Jesus is like, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna raise again.

I'm gonna die. I'm gonna be crucified, but I'm gonna raise from the dead. The moment Jesus dies, is buried in the tomb, the disciples aren't sitting there thinking, like, man, this is awesome. He's gonna raise from the dead. No, they go out fishing.

You don't think there's a little bit of, like, doubt in their heart for a moment? When Mary goes to the tomb, it says that she prepared the spices. Why is that key? Because she goes with the spices. Assuming that Jesus is still gonna be dead, then you have Peter.

Same thing. Hey, guess what? Like, I get paid to do this. Like, this is what I do. I get paid to stand up here every week and preach and pray, proclaim the gospel.

But, you know, there are moments in my own life that have caused me for A moment, a slight hesitation of faith. God, are you really. Are you really in this thing? Are you really who you say you are? This is before the resurrection of Jesus.

John the Baptist is out preaching and proclaiming the gospel, and then he's about to get his head served on a plate. And what does John the Baptist do? He goes and he says, hey, I need you to find Jesus and ask him, are you really the one? Because John the Baptist is like, man, if I'm going to get my head cut off, I just want to know, and what does Jesus do? Hey, just go look at what's happening.

Look at who is being healed. So your doubts don't disqualify you from the gospel this morning. Don't let your doubts be the reason you don't believe. Just bring them all to Jesus today. Like, I think if he could handle being risen from the dead on his own, I think he could probably manage your doubts, my friends.

I think he's pretty good at the impossible. Don't you say so. If he could be risen from the dead, I think he could take your doubts and your questions. And in reality, isn't that what faith really becomes? It's okay, God, I don't really know or understand this, but I'm just going to trust you.

I'm just going to place my confidence in you. Because faith means I'm going to trust what Jesus said and what he did was enough, even when I don't fully comprehend it. Like, I can't get my mind around this sometimes. If salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone and in Christ alone, that's where I'm placing my faith today. So are you a delayer or are you a doubter?

I'm not asking you to just change everything and get your act together and clean up and then come to him today. I'm just asking you to look on that cross and ask and say, that was enough. When he died, it counted for me. And if that's what God says is the way, then I'm going to believe it. Because the reality, Christianity, is that we are not saved by religious effort.

We're not saved by our own works. We're not saved by our good behavior. We're not saved by doing religious activity. We're not saved by coming to church. We're not saved by any of those things.

But we are only saved because of what Christ has done. I love how Paul wrote this in the Book of Romans. He said, while we were still sinners, Christ.

I love how he says that while we were still Sinners, Christ died. That means in our sin, Jesus came to us. That means that you don't have to get your act together. You don't have to clean yourself up. For some of you, man, let me set you free if you stop cussing, drinking, smoking, doing all these things.

Great idea. That's not what saves you. Because Christ died for you before these things. So we can't clean ourselves up to get to Him. It's only by his grace.

So some of you are thinking, what does it actually take then? What does this all look like? Well, let one preacher say it to you a lot better than I could say it to you. One of my favorite clips of all time, preacher by the name of Alistair Beggar, tells the story of the thief on the cross. And if this ain't enough for you to believe today, then I don't know what will.

He goes and he asks the question, so if you were to die tonight and you were getting entry into heaven, what would you say? He uses the word entry because he's like an English British man. He's talking differently than I would. But if you were to die tonight and you stood before the gates of heaven, what would you say? Here's what Alistair Begg says.

If you answer in the first person, we've immediately gone wrong. Because I. Because I believed, because I have faith, because I am this, because I am doing this. Because I go to church, I go to temple. I'm a good person.

Because I give, because I serve, because I grew up, up in church. He says, loved ones. The only proper answer is in the third person. Because he did. Because he did.

It's not about us, it's about what he's done. He says, think about the thief on the cross. He says, I can't wait to find that fellow one day and ask him, how did that shake out for you because you were cussing the guy out with your friend. You've never been to Bible study. You.

You've never gotten baptized. You didn't know a thing about church membership, and yet you made it like I want to be there. Alistair goes to heaven before me. I'm like, hey, man, wait to have that conversation. Because I want to sit there.

He says, how did you make it? That's what the angel must have said, you know, what are you doing here, thief on the cross? I don't know. What do you mean, you don't know? I don't know.

No. Excuse me, let me get my supervisor, he says. And they go get their supervisor, angel. So just a few questions. For you.

First of all, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith? The guy says, I've never heard of it in my life. And what about the doctrine of scripture? And the guy's just staring. And eventually, in frustration, the supervisor says on one, what basis are you here?

And the thief on the cross says this. He said to him, the man on the middle cross said I could come. He invited me. Yeah, you put your hands together for that one.

It says, the man on the middle cross said I could come. He invited me. He said I could come. It's the only answer. It's the only answer for you today.

And Alistair Begg continues to go on. He says, and if I don't preach the gospel to myself all day and every day, then I'll find myself beginning to trust myself, trust my experience, which is part of my fallenness as a man. And if I take my eyes off the cross, I can then give only lip service to its efficiency while at the same time living as if my salvation depends on. On me. And as soon as you go there will lead you either to an abject despair or a horrible kind of arrogance.

It is only the cross of Christ that deals both with the dreadful depths of despair and the pretentiousness, arrogance of the pride of man that says, you know, I can figure this out. I'm doing wonderfully well. No, as Alistair says, because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free for God. The just is satisfied to look on him and pardon me. That's why Luther says most of your Christian life is outside of you.

In this sense that we know that we're not saved by good works. We're not saved as a result of our professions, but we're saved as a result of what Christ has accomplished. So let me ask you. You're here, brunch is on the way.

Why leave here as a delayer or a doubter? Why not leave here as one who has been set free today? And you're like, well, I don't know all the answers, man. Like, I didn't grow up in this. I don't really got this whole thing figured out.

It's not about you, but we just keep going and begging you to go back to what the thief on the cross says. He says, man, the man on the middle cross invites you to believe today. The cross and the empty tomb. So would you bow your head and close your eyes for a moment?

I just want to ask you today if you don't know Jesus in a very real and personal way, why not now? Why not have your entire sin, past, present and future, forgiven? Why not surrender your life to Jesus today as your head's bowed and your eyes are closed? If you're ready to say yes to Jesus, I just want you to do me a quick favor. I'm going to count to three.

When I count to three, would you just slip up your hand and say, you know what? I don't have it figured out. I don't really know what this looks like moving forward, but I'm going to say yes to Jesus today that when he died, it counted for me. If that's you on the count of three, would you just put your hand in the air? One, two, three.

Would you slip up that hand? Come on.

Hey, if you raise your hand, would you just look up at me for a moment? I want to lead you. This isn't a magical prayer. This isn't a prayer that's just going to all of a sudden make you in. But this is just an acknowledgement of Christ revealing himself to you, saving you from your sin.

Would you just pray with me aloud? Say, jesus, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe that you are that savior, that you died and rose again. And I believe that through the resurrection, you have paid the debt of my sin. Today I commit my life in full surrender to you as Lord.

That means you are the boss now. You're in charge. Thank you for saving me today. Amen. Amen.

Hey, would you stand to your feet? Here's how we're going to close. We're going to respond and singing, hey, if you. You surrendered your life to Jesus. The Bible says that all of heaven rejoices over one sinner who turns to Christ.

I need one thing of you to either scan the QR code or grab this card and just fill it out and check the thing that says, I'm trusting in Jesus today, we want to follow up and help you take your next step with him. If you're here and you're like, hey, man, I walked in here and the life that I'm living just has some stuff going on. I don't know how to manage it. I don't know how to do anything with it, but I need a miracle of God today. We have some people in the back with lanyards on that they would find it their greatest joy and honor with you to pray for you.

When we say that the tomb is empty and anything is possible, we really mean that and we really believe it. And one of the best things we could do is help you in prayer. So if you need prayer, go to the back. If you're here and you're like, hey, I'm just going to sing and celebrate, you sing along with us. Amen and thank you.