His Body Was Lying - Easter Sunday

Tim Ross | March 4, 2021

Listen

Transcription

Welcome to Embassy City Church, everybody. I'm so grateful that you are here. It is Resurrection Sunday.

If you don't know it already, you're going to know in about half an hour. Spoiler alert. He got up, all right? I want to say thank you to everyone that decided to be with us in person even though we decided to only have one Sunday. Thank you all for cramming in and respecting each other's space at the same time. For those of you all that are in the building but not in this room, if you're in overflow, I love you in overflow. You got the best overflow of all time. It ain't a little monitor. You got an LED screen. Deal with it.

So grateful that you are here. If you're not in this physical location but you are watching us from down the street or halfway around the world or completely around the world, I'm so grateful that you decided to make today a part of your celebration of Jesus's resurrection. I got some shout-outs to give to some people that have been watching and commenting and writing in. The first one is from Ocala, Florida, talking about the worship experience that happened on Friday night even though it was two songs. Maybe somebody wrote in and was like, "Yes, I like that."

I loved it. Thank you, Lord. Lord, thank you for Your new mercy. I love y'all and we love you too, so shout-out to Florida. The second one is Upset the Vow comment. I am not married yet, but let me say this, okay.

"Through the help of the Holy Spirit, both you, Tim--" I'm in parentheses and, Juliet, you're not, so, clearly, you're more important than I am, which is true. "Both you, Tim and Juliet, have given me more information on how to lay down my foundation." Amen. "May God bless you. I love you, guys." That's awesome. The last one is another comment of Upset the Vows. "This is an amazing series. I thank God for your wisdom and willingness to share so that we can all be healed in our marriages." That is something to praise God for.

Obviously, we have been in the series on marriage, but there's no way it's going to be Resurrection Sunday and I'm not going to talk about Jesus being resurrected. Now, let me tell you. There's a different cadence to today. If you're visiting for the first time and you don't like this cadence, come back next week and you'll get my normal cadence. My normal cadence most Sundays is that of exhortative teaching. That's what I do. I exhort people and teach them the Word of God, but my roots and my foundation come from teaching and preaching. I feel some kind of way this weekend.

I'm just giving y'all a disclaimer upfront that I feel my Church of God in Christ roots this weekend. I feel my Pentecostal Holiness roots this weekend. I feel my Baptist brothers and sisters this weekend. I feel my Methodist people this weekend. I feel my Presbyterians this weekend. I feel all the things this weekend. I preach in all these churches that I'm naming. I feel my Anglicans, I feel my Catholics, I feel my Assemblies of God, I feel everybody. I feel my Ninety-Nine people. The cadence is going to be a little different. There are no points today. There are no points today.

I'm going to preach. If it hits you right, write it down.

You can still take notes. I'm just not going to tell you what to take notes on. I'm going to just preach. If you feel it, get it. That's all I'm trying to say. You know what I'm saying? That's all I'm saying. The cadence is a little different. If you don't like it, just come back next week. I'll probably be back to myself. This weekend, I feel like preaching. That cadence is coming with us, so I'm going to do that. Let's practice. When I'm preaching good--

Okay. Y'all need no help. Y'all like, "Say less, bro. Let's go. We've been waiting on this, dude. We saw you at the Potter's House. Go in."

I don't have them pointy shoes no more though. Okay, all right.

That's what you wanted to clap on?

That I don't have the shoes no more? Okay, it's all good. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the Gospel according to St. Matthew 28. The Gospel according to St. Matthew 28. I want to read 10 verses in your hearing, then we'll pray and see what the Holy Spirit will say. Gospel according to St. Matthew 28. When you have it, say, “Amen."

If you need a minute, say, "Wait a minute." Good. That's good. Matthew 28, starting at the first verse. Here's what it says. "Early on Sunday morning as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it." That's just gangster.

"His face shone like lightning and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him and they fell into a dead faint, then the angel spoke to the women. 'Don't be afraid,' he said. 'I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here. He has risen from the dead,'" This statement, hear the next statement, "just as He said would happen." You've got to just hear the tone of the angel like, "Didn't He say He would just like He said He would?"

"'Come, see where His body was lying, and now go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and He is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there. Remember what I told you.' The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message. As they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. They ran to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him, then Jesus said to them, 'Don't be afraid. Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee and they will see me there.'"

That's so good. I want to draw your attention to verse number six. There's something in verse number six. I've been preaching for 25 years, but I heard something in a different way that I've never heard before when I read verse number six. "He isn't here. He has risen from the dead just as He said would happen. Come, see where His body was lying. Come, I want you to come in here."

These two Marys had seen Jesus's body go into that tomb. They saw Joseph of Arimathea buy this plot and put Him in it, so they knew to come back to this place. They knew where he had been placed. They come back to this place and the angel says, "I want you to come in here and see where His body was lying." It is my assignment to preach on this Resurrection Sunday that His body was lying. His body was lying. Oh, there's already tension. His body was lying.

Bow your heads and close your eyes. Let's pray over the word, shall we? Holy Spirit, thank you for His lying, His dying that caused us to get up. In Jesus' name, Amen. Where do you start? When we talk about a risen Savior, when you have this kind of no-duh moment that at the beginning of my message, you already know where it ends, where do you start? Should we start like Matthew at his genealogy written for the Jews to prove that He was indeed the one that was prophesied, the promise of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the seed of David that there would be one that sits on the throne whose reign and kingdom, lordship would never end?

Should we start in Matthew, who takes great pains to give us exactly what it is that we understand about the Lord from a Jewish perspective or should we go to Mark, the quickest of the disciples, to tell His story? He didn't have time for any fluff. He scarcely cared about the details. He just decided, "Listen, you need to know a few things. He was born, He lived, He died, He got up." Maybe for the analytical people in the room, you might like Luke's Gospel better.

Even though he wasn't there firsthand, this guy was an investigative reporter. We know that he was a doctor by trade, but he might as well have been an investigative journalist because he goes through great pains to make sure he collects all the information that he can to prove that Jesus is indeed the Messiah to the Jew first and then to the Gentile, or should it be John, the beloved, the young boy, comfortable enough in his own skin to literally lay on another man's chest? In our culture, he would be suspect.

He was very, very comfortable in his own skin enough to rest in the bosom of his Savior. Literally, he's the one that can testify that I heard the heartbeat of God. Can you imagine being so close to the Father that you can literally hear His heart beating? John was so close to Jesus, the God, man in flesh, that when He got ready to speak, he was already ready to listen because he heard the, "[gasps] H-," before the, "-ey."

Anybody beside me want to be so close to God that you can hear Him when He's about to speak? A lot of people just say, "Speak, Lord." I want to be the person that's like, "I heard your breath. Was you about to say something?" John is this man and he's the only one that gives us all three years of Jesus's earthly ministry. Whichever gospel you pick, we come to the same conclusion that Jesus is God's Word wrapped in flesh.

John went so far as to write in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." It coincides with Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." What did he do it with Jesus? The Word didn't have a name yet, but the Word would be named Jesus. Jesus would testify that, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father, except they come through Me."

Boy, how did He come in? You're talking about an entry. Coming into the world through the womb of a virgin without any assistance of a man, fulfilling all of Old Testament prophecy, He entered the Earth because He said so. The first messianic prophecy that's given with promises, Genesis 3:15, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent and he shall bruise his heel."

I think all of you all know without me even getting to my series in sex that women don't have seeds, yet He said the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent and he shall bruise his heel. A prophecy that's given in Genesis 3:15 4,000 years before it came to pass, I think God knows how to make an entrance. He's also into delayed gratification. [laughs] That's going to disappoint 25 people in the room because you want your prayer answered now. You got a prophetic word and He said He's going to change things around and you're waiting for Tuesday to come.

You heard a word that promotion was coming to you and you went to your boss on Monday and said, "Hey, I got a word. Where's my promotion?" not knowing it seven years from now when your pride is no longer in the way. [chuckles] Delayed gratification, it's something that we have to get used to if we're going to have a relationship with God because He does not work on our terms. He works on His own. He speaks the Word from eternity in the time and you have to wait in time for that eternal Word to meet up with His expected timing and plan.

Jesus comes to the womb of a virgin very non-gloriously. For all the glory that He took off, you would think He would replace it with the glory on Earth. No. He was born in a manger. Through Immaculate Conception, He was born into the world in a barn nestled into an animal's trough. Unspectacularly, for 30 years, we don't even know what He's doing. He makes a cameo appearance when He's 12 years old in the temple talking to the Jewish leaders. Somehow He gets out of children's ministry.

His parents don't find Him for two or three days. They go back and they find Him in the temple talking to the Jewish leaders about the Torah, asking them questions about the Torah, which is highly entertaining to me because Jesus is the Torah. Jesus goes into the temple to check to see if the people reading about Him know that He is the one talking to them.

"Do you know that you're talking to me about me? Deuteronomy is me. Exodus is me. Genesis is me. Leviticus is me. It's all me. The Book of Numbers is me. Joshua is literally me. I can walk you from the beginning of time up until now and I can show you every place that I've been. I'm here in the flesh, but it's not time. I'm going to work with my dad, build some houses, mend some fences because it's not time. I'm going to hang out with my mom and my dad and my siblings and go to a feast and go into the synagogue and hear them talking about me, knowing I can't say anything back because it's not my time."

Do you have the patience, the discipline to be able to do what you're supposed to be doing in this season, knowing that you have a bigger call on your life but recognize that it's not time? You may have been called into ministry and maybe God said you are going to preach to thousands, but right now, your witness is at the school where you work. Maybe He told you, you were going to be a great evangelist and you are going to be able to captivate people with strong oratory ability.

Right now, you need to pick up that customer service line, ask for their account number, and reconcile the fact that they said they made a payment, but you don't see it on your screen. Do you have enough self-discipline to wait for God's timing in your life? He's just waiting, 30 years of just waiting. Can you imagine me waiting 4,000 years for Him, and now we got to wait another 30? When it's time, He shows up at His cousin's baptismal party and says, "Hey, I need you to baptize me."

John has been talking about this man. I don't even think he knows it's his cousin at this point, but he knows that the Messiah is coming and he's been prophesying about Him all this time that the Messiah is coming. A voice crying in the wilderness, "The Messiah is coming." When He finally gets here, he's like, "It's you, cousin? We were at the family reunions every year. You didn’t even-- how did you-- Are you the one that turned that water in the Kool-Aid?"

Jesus shows up and He says, "I need you to baptize Me or else the prophecy cannot be fulfilled." John doesn't even want to do it. He says, "You're greater than I am." He goes, "No, so that all things that have been said about Me coming to pass, you have to baptize Me." He baptizes his cousin in the Jordan River. He comes out and God Himself says, "That's My son. I'm pleased with Him." The Holy Spirit comes down like as a dove. It wasn't a real dove for all you all that have little birds on the back of your car.

He's cute, but it's a metaphor. He came down like as a dove. He showed the anointing that was on Jesus and the fact that He was filled with the Spirit of God from His mother's womb. He would think it would be on and popping now. He waited 30 years. Now, it's time to start your ministry. Get your business cards ready. Get your ministry signage out. Pitch the tent and let's have a revival.

He's whisked into the wilderness for a quality assurance check on the anointing that He just received. I don't know about you, but the anointing is going to cost you something. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. He gives out gifts. He'll just dish out gifts and you can use them for His glory. You can use them for your glory. You can use them for whatever you want to. He'll never take that gift back, but His anointing, the anointing is God's approval on the gift that He gave you.

The anointing is God's approval of what it is He has called you to do. I know a lot of people have grown up in church and they thought the anointing were the chill bumps. They thought the anointing was the riff that the lady made. They thought the anointing was E-flat. They thought the anointing was that good who, but the anointing is nothing more than the approval that God puts on your gifts.

All He says is, "I approve of this thing that I gave you. When you walk into a building, the demons have to back off. When you walk into a building, all of hell is on notice. When you walk into a building, I'll open up doors that no man can shut. When you walk into a building, they'll know that there is something different about you. When you walk into a building, you may not have the degree, but you have Me. When you walk into a building, they will know that there was nothing that has come upon you, except Me in this place."

That's the anointing, but the anointing is going to cost you. It's just going to cost you something. It's expensive. It's not cheap. You can't do what you want under the anointing. You can't go where you want under the anointing. You can't be who you want under the anointing. [chuckles] He was anointed, He was appointed, then He was tempted. Led by the Holy Spirit into temptation.

The Scripture says that He was tempted in all points, yet without sin. These were the three temptations that Satan himself-- He didn't send the demons. Satan himself wanted this shot. He said, "I got the first man Adam. Let me see if I get the second man Adam." He walked straight into that wilderness with Him and said, "Let's go to war. Let's go to war. I got the first one down and that gave me Earth. Let me see if I get the second one down. I'll get Heaven back. Let's see if I can walk in through here and get You to do the same thing that the first Adam did. That way, I can get more access and rule forever."

He goes into the wilderness and He's tested. First temptation is lust of the flesh. "Turn this stone into bread. I know you're hungry. Your stomach's growling. You haven't eaten in 40 days. Turn this stone into bread." Here's the thing. The enemy tempted Him with a legitimate appetite, but He wanted Him to fulfill it in an illegitimate way. May I caution at least 50 people in the room that there's nothing wrong with your appetites. They just have to be satisfied in a legitimate way. [laughs] You don't take something that's not food and turn it into food just because you have the power to do so. That's manipulation.

He says, "Men should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." He goes, "No, that's not going to work." "Sir, I know the Word because I am the Word."

Satan goes, "Oh, You quoting the Bible. Okay, well, the Bible says in Psalm 91 that the angels will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the stone. Let me take You up to this very high peak and You should throw Yourself down. Before You hit the ground, the angels will swoop You up." Can you imagine Jesus's response at this point? "Are you actually trying to quote Me to Me?" which the enemy always tries to do is take the word out of context for it to benefit you and ignore the rest of the Scripture.

Jesus's response, "The Scriptures also say." It's not just what it says, but it's what it also says. It's not just what it reads here, but what it also reads there. The Scriptures also say that you should not tempt the Lord your God. We have less of the flesh out of the way. We have the pride of life out of the way. He takes Him and says, "Hey, I'll give you all these kingdoms, every single one of these kingdoms if you would just simply bow down and worship me."

That's when Jesus was like, "Okay, we got to stop. This trial is over. You're going to have to go because there's only one God that's going to be worshipped and it ain't you." Once He passes His test, now He's verified, right? He got the blue check. It's time for Him to really start His earthly ministry, and so He goes out into the world. You know the first miracle He does? He goes to a wedding. "See, I can still tie in."

After all of that anointing and all of that checking, the first thing He does, He doesn't open up blind eyes. He doesn't pop up in deaf ears. He goes to a wedding. Since the end is going to be a wedding, the first miracle might as well have been at a wedding because the end is going to be a miracle at a wedding. He goes to the wedding and turns water into wine and he's off to the races.

For three and a half years, He is opening up blind eyes. He is healing leper's skin. He is opening up deaf ears. He is just on a roll. Everybody's following Him. You're talking about social media in biblical days. Word of mouth was hot. Anytime Jesus's name was mentioned, they're like, "Where are you going to be?" He's in Galilee, "Let's go." He's in Jerusalem, "Let's go." He's in a person's house, "Let's tear the roof off."

Some of y'all that lived through the '70s were like, "Yes."

"Tear the roof off there." "I'm doing all of these miraculous things." While He was doing all these miraculous things, He only had His mind on one thing. Can you imagine the mindset you have to have to be reviving people and healing people, knowing you have to die for those people? John 11, he comes to the aid of a friend of his. Lazarus. Mary and Martha said, "Your friend is sick."

Jesus says, "I'm coming." Once again, not the timing that you would choose but the timing that He chose. He said, "I'm coming," then He waits two days and the disciples are confused because He said, "Don't worry about Lazarus. He's just asleep," and He said, "Well, if he's just sleeping, then he's fine," and they were like, "Oh, Jesus, man, y'all don't get me. He's dead."

"He's dead? We're going to go see him. Just not when they wanted Me to come. We're going to go see him, just not on the timetable that they wanted it." It's two days to get there. He waits two days before He leaves. When the time He shows up, Lazarus has been dead for four days and his body was lying in the tomb. Lazarus's body was lying there in the tomb. Jesus shows up and he says, "Where did you put him?" They said, "We put him over here. If you would have came earlier--" anybody beside me, "If you would've came earlier, if you would've answered that prayer in my 30s--" [crying]

"If you would've just showed up when I told you to, then they wouldn't have died if you would've shown up when I told you to," "My child wouldn't have went through this if you would've shown up when I told you to," "I wouldn't have lost that job if you would've shown up when I told you to," "We wouldn't have had to move if you would've shown up when I told you to," "I wouldn't have gotten divorced if you would've shown up when I told you to." "You can keep crying about what I didn't do or you can be happy that I'm here now.

Jesus says, "Where did you put him?" "We put him over there." He goes, "Well, then let's go get him." "No, you're not going to get him now. You should've came when I told you to. It's been four days. By now, he stinks." It's been four days. By now, the decomposition has set into the point that has passed rigor mortis. The flesh has started to decay. The bugs have started to eat through the stomach lining. The parasites from the inside are now starting to eat their way to the outside."

"The stone is rolled before, so there's probably no flies in there, but there is still some breakdown and the skin tissue is starting to get that oily feeling to it, that rubbery feeling to it that happens in decomposition. His eyes have sunk into the sockets and there is no life in them. His hair is still growing. His nails are still growing, but his body is decaying. I'm not going in there now. It stinks."

Isn't it amazing that God wants to show up and do stuff in your life at a point where you have already written it off? Is it not amazing that God shows up and says, "I want to resurrect something when you have said, 'I want to move on'"? Is it not amazing that God says, "I now want to do the thing that you wanted me to do," when you go, "I don't want you to even do it no more"? "It stinks." He says, "I want to come in when it's stinking. I want to come in when it's decaying. I want to come in when it seems like there's no way. That way, you won't take no credit when I get this thing back up."

He was laying there. He was laying there and he said, "Roll away the stone." They said, "Oh, God."

He said, "You roll away the stone," because when Jesus shows up, Jesus shows up and he says, "I'm only going to do the thing that you can't." Jesus showed up to the situation and he said, "I'm only going to do the thing that you can't do. Everything else that you can do, you will do, so you roll away the stone. I'm not doing it. You have the capacity to do that, so you roll away the stone. You have the capacity to do that, so you go to council. You have the capacity to do that, so you get on your knees and pray. You have the capacity to do that, so you point to where it hurts. You roll away the stone."

They rolled away the stone and that's all they could do. They rolled away the stone and He didn't even go in. [laughs] He didn't even peek into the tomb. He called his name. Last I checked, dead men can't hear. Who is He talking to? Where was He talking to? Perhaps the reason why He just called his name because He knew that Lazarus wasn't actually in the tomb. The spirit had left the body, so He knew He wasn't talking to a dead body. He was talking to the soul of a man.

When He called his name, what He was saying was, "Get back in that body." [chuckles] "Lazarus." Only called him one time, didn't have to convince him. Didn't get him confused with another Lazarus that might've been sitting or laying nearby, "Lazarus." He wasn't the only one with that name, but he was the only one by that name that had to get up on that day, "Lazarus."

When God calls you, there's nothing you can do, except go, "Huh?" Anybody beside me got your name called when you were dead in your sins, when you thought, "I'm never getting out of this situation. You can't make me get out of this. I'm going to still get high. I'm going to still drink. I'm going to still have sex. I'm going to still smoke weed. I'm going to still shoot up. I'm going to still drink up. I'm going to still be mad. I'm going to still hold a grudge," and then Lazarus, a dead man, wrapped up, got up because his name was called.

He was laying there. Then he got up, wrapped up, hopped out.

Couldn't see a thing, but he was alive.

Some of us have given our life to Christ. We still can't see a thing. I don't even know what I'm going to be doing with my life. I just gave my life to Jesus. I don't even know what's next, but I'm just here. I'm still a little wrapped up. I still am tied up in some things. I'm going to need community to help me out because I can't get out of the stuff.

I didn't even wrap myself up in this stuff so I can't get myself out of this stuff. He walks into the company of Jesus and Jesus, just looks at him, because remember he was only going to do the thing that you couldn't. He says, "You roll away the stone." Then He turns around and says, "Now, you lose him and let him go."

I'm not doing it. I didn't wrap him up. I'm not unwrapping him. I'm here for the resurrection part. I'm here for the revival part. You're here for the community part. Get yourself into community and you'll get unwrapped.

Get yourself into community, and your community will help you out of the stuff that you got tied up in. Get yourself into a group and you will find yourself becoming freer than you ever thought possible because you can't get free by yourself. Who knew at this time that it was a commercial. Who would have thought it?

Who would've thought in a million years that Jesus did this as a preview to what He would do for himself but the situation was drastically different. He's taking the beating like a grown man. I would've died on a whipping post. My flesh is just too tender.

I'm just not built that way. I barely survived my daddy's belt. I'm just telling you the truth. I barely survived my daddy's belt, I don't think I could have been whipped with the cat tails and the iron hooks that were in it ripping His flesh apart. My daddy's belt almost killed me. I survived it. I'm a better man for it. Spare the rod, spoil the child. Thank you, daddy. I appreciate you a lot.

But that whipping post though, I'd have been making a deal with God, the father at that moment, "I'm bleeding right now. I'm good, right?

They already broke skin. You said shed blood, that's it. Can I go? Can I just die here?" He takes the beating, walks it up himself. A man comes to help him partial of the way to get to where he's supposed to go but He gets up there and lays down and they nail and they lift him up. He's sitting there. Doesn't dawn on anybody, that this is the moment where He says, "If I be lifted up above the earth."

Ain't it amazing when you have a picture in your mind of what you think prophecy means?

God's going to use you. He going to bless you to bless us so many people. God's going to get so much glory out of your life and you have no idea it means crucification. You have no idea it means to be crucified, to be lifted up, pinned up, posted up, naked. That loincloth is there for American sensibilities. Romans were not into beating and humility or modesty. He was naked on that cross.

This may be a good time to talk about the intimacy between a man and a woman only happens when they are both naked and not ashamed. I fear that the reason why we have covered up Christ with a loincloth on that cross is because the church, his bride is not afraid to get naked like He was. He's hanging. The sins of the world pass by, over three hours, He is just hanging up there as our sacrificial lamb. Then scripture says something that's very, very interesting.

It says that He gave up the ghost. He released His spirit. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It is finished. Into thy hands I commit my spirit, " and He gave up the ghost and His body dies. He's dead. They put the cross post down and they take the nails out of His hands and out of His wrist.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus that came to visit Him at night, wrap His body in a clean cloth and hoist it away to a tomb that Joseph bought. He's put into the tomb and they roll the stone in front of it and walk away. Mary and the other Mary, come to see Him. We find what we read in the text that the angel rolls the stone away and sits on it. It was amazing that Jesus told the people to roll the stone away for Lazarus, but who would roll His stone away?

When Jesus told them to roll their stone away, Lazarus's stone away, He was still in there. When the angel comes to roll Jesus' stone away. He's not even in there. He says, "Come see where His body was lying." Y'all, when I read this, I just heard the Holy Spirit, say something so obnoxious to me. He said His body was lying. I said, "I know you're not calling Jesus a liar, sir?" He said, "No, no, Tim, the truth cannot lie, which is why it left that body, because he had to lay. If He didn't lie there, you would have to lie there. If He didn't lie there, you would have to lie there. He says, "I have to release my Spirit because I am the way, the truth and the life." The life is not going to be in a dead body. His body was lying. Not Him, His body. Why did it have to lie? Do you know anybody? Let me just ask a quest--

Anybody ever told a lie? Anybody by a show of hands, have you ever told a lie? If this ain't everybody's hand going up, the level of selective amnesia that is in this building right now. Real high till you show the deodorant stain. Have you ever told a lie? Why did you tell a lie? You usually tell a lie, because you are afraid. You usually tell a lie to cover something up.

Jesus lied. His body lied in that grave. Not because He was afraid of death, it was because He was about to make death afraid of Him. Why did Jesus lie in that grave? Don't you lie to cover up? If He didn't lie in that grave, you would have had to lie. He laid down so that you wouldn't have to. He laid down in that grave to cover you.

The blood covered but the promises that He gave based on that blood, couldn't happen unless He died. It's the reason why we call the New Testament the New Testament. There was an Old Testament and there was a New Testament. It's a rewriting. There's an amendment of the will but a will is not enacted until the testator dies.

I have life insurance. When I die, my wife and kids get a lot of money, but I have to be dead for them to get it. If I don't die, they'll never get the promise that's released to them. While He is yet alive, He can't transfer the promise to those that are supposed to inherit it and so He had to die in order for us to get the benefit of the promise that He gave us.

Come, come, come. I want you to see where he was lying, he lied so good, hell threw a party. He lied there so good all of hell started popping bottles. "We straight, we got rid of Him." What they going to do now? Ain't it amazing that satan knew all of this was going to happen but then when it happened, he still acted like this was the end? He said, "Come see where his body was lying." His body was lying so good that all the hell said, "Now, it's going to be generational curses. We got everybody. It's generational curses for everybody. You get a curse and you get a curse and you get a curse.

It was true until it wasn't.

Has something ever been true about you until it wasn't?

You ever been broke until Friday?

It was true, he was broke, but then that automatic debit payment, ACH draft hit, you got up on Friday a little different in your walk, like, "Yes, I'm back."

Has something ever been true about you until it wasn't? You were a cheater until, you were a liar until, you were an addict, you were dead until He-- That body was lying there for three days and after three days, the truth came back, the truth came back.

I don't know how the truth gets back into a body, I just feel like it jumps.

When He got up, He got up with all power in His hands.

When He got up, He got up with death in His hands. When He got up, He got up with power in His hands. There were no curses left that could stick to you, there was no lie left that could linger.

There was no sickness that couldn't be cured. There was no longer any fear of death because He lost His thing, He got up and the angel said, "You got to come see where He was lying, because His body was lying there and we had hell and they thought maybe they was going to do an evasion on us and it ain't going to happen now because He's up."

Here's what I love about the humility of Jesus. He gets up and He doesn't rub it in nobody's face. He just gets up and said, "Hey, come meet me in Galilee, you know that place we used to hang out? Just come meet me, come meet me in Galilee. You know the place where we grew up? There's going to be some people that see me.

There's going to be some people that have questions and this is why I kept my scars, in a glorified body. I could have healed these scars, but I kept these scars." Never hide your testimony, make sure it's available for people just in case they don't believe what you said about what God did in your life. He said, "I kept the prints in my hand, I kept the prints in my feet, I kept this one in my side, just in case somebody doesn't believe that I actually went through what I went through, I kept a couple of pictures." I know you don't believe that I used to drink like a sailor and curse and stab people in the face and do all kinds of stuff, I know you don't believe that I was really, really gangster, but I kept a couple of pictures.

A little slide show, I'm not proud of it, but I do have a little photo album for proof that I would put in work on you if need be.

I know you don't believe that I was the type of person that could hold a grudge and that had bitterness in my heart and unforgiveness but I kept the testimony and I give it to you unedited so you will know in the same way that He has kept His scars, I have kept my story because it is in my story that I back up the devil. It is in my story that we overcome the world. By the word, by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.

It's the testimony that, because He got up, I could get up. It's the testimony that, because He rose, I rose. It's the testimony that because He's alive, I'm alive. What did I come to tell y'all today? That He got up and here's what I came to tell some people, I don't know who you are. You ain't got to lie there no more. You don't have to lay in that spot anymore. You don't have to deal with that situation anymore.

You don't have to lay there and play dead anymore. You don't have to lay there and take what the enemy has said about you anymore. You don't have to lay in that generational curse anymore. You don't have to lay in that bitterness anymore. You don't have to lay in that problem, in that struggle anymore. You can get up because He got up.

Lazarus, Timothy, Sarah, Robert, Christopher, Shirley, Eddie, Stephen, Leah, Barbara get up. You don't have to stay in that situation anymore. Get up. You don't have to be bound anymore. Get up. You don't have to be an addict anymore. Get up.

You don't have to live in pain anymore. Get up. [cheers] I don't know who I'm preaching to right now, but take three people and tell them, "You can get up right now." Tell them, "Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up." If your generational blessings come, get up. If your addiction breaks, get up until pain and bondage goes away. Get up.

Get up, get up, get up. I hear the savior calling somebody, get up. This is your last resurrection Sunday, laying down, get up. Your body has been lying to you. You are not who they said you were. Get up. [laughs] Oh, Jesus help me get up, get up, get up, get up, get up. Somebody needs to get up. I know it's a social distance thing and we wouldn't normally do this, but when Lazarus got up when Jesus got up, He came out. He didn't just get up and sit there. He moved away from the thing that was keeping him down.

He just didn't get up and just sit in the tomb, going, "I can't believe… Nobody came to get me." He just walked up. Lazarus couldn't walk up, maybe you're too bound. He didn't walk out. He just hopped out. Where do you feel, free or bound? Here's what he says, "You can move." I'm not coming to where you are, you got to come to where I am.

I'm calling you out from where you are to where I need you to be and there's somebody in this room. You just need to come out. You just need to meet me right here in the front. You just need to walk out of whatever you are in, there you go. You just need to walk out of whatever you are in and just come down and be here. I don't know who you are.

I don't what you've been through. It doesn't even matter, but God is saying, "Come out. Come out. I'm calling you out. I'm calling you forward. I'm calling you from where you are to where you need to be. Come." Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on wherever you are. Wherever you are just come. If you're in the overflow you can come right now into this room. Just come down.

Wherever you are come. Come. You don't need to stay where you are, come. Come. Come. Come. Come.

He doesn't care what you've been through. He doesn't care how much it stinks. He just says, "Come."

I can deal with the stench if you can deal with this life. Just come.

Just come. I don't care what's decayed, I don't care what's decrepit. I don't care what has been broken. I don't care what has been dead. He's the way, the truth and the life.

All of our bodies were lying. [laughs]. Living outside of the will of God, our bodies were lying. Not giving glory to God and the bodies He gave us, our bodies were lying. Only gloried the things He created more than the creator himself. We were all lying.

When His body lied, it was to make sure we could all get up. They're still coming. I still don't care where. You haven't missed an opportunity.

I promise you, you haven't missed an opportunity. There might be two or three people that did a jab-stab like Carmello and you thought about coming out and you were like, "Man, I don't have time." No, no. Come. Come. Come. Come. I promise you He wants you here. Just come. Come. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's the voice that will heal and not hurt.

Thank you sweetheart. He loves you. Come. Come. Come.

He made you for this moment. Thank you. Thank you. Come. Come. Come. Thank you sir. Thank you sir. Thank you sir.

Here's what I know-- Thank you for still coming. Keep coming. Here's what I know, there're some people that are down here that are friends of Jesus. Lazarus was. Please don't mistake that everybody that is down here is someone that doesn't have a relationship with Jesus. Lazarus was Jesus's friend and he still died. He still needed to be resurrected.

There are people in here that already know Jesus but you still need resurrection. There's an area of your life that's been dead and you just need resurrection. There're maybe some people down here you have never given your life to Jesus. This will be a great day to do it because you didn't hear me talking. You heard Him. I'm not that good of a preacher, I never will be. I can't bring people to Jesus but the Holy Spirit can. If you heard anything you heard Him. You're here now. You have now. It's a start of a new day. His body was lying. No more. He rose, we rose. He rose, we rose. He rose, we rose to be His heroes.

Let me pray for you. God, there is a real beauty on this moment that I don't want to get in the way of. I don't want to mess up so God, I just say thank you for every person that has come down here. That answered something that they felt you said. To answer a call that you gave them. God, I pray right now in Jesus' name for those that are your friends, and for those that were your foes. We say, "Yes." You call our name, we say, "Here I am Lord. Speak Lord, Your servant is listening." God, I pray that there is a supernatural breakthrough for every person that stood up and walked forward.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. God, thank you for taking us out of our past bringing us into the present so you could prepare us for a future. God, thank you that death couldn't hold us. Thank you that generational curses couldn't tie us. Thank you that addictions couldn't bind us, Lord God. God, I thank you, that you are freeing your people today, you're freeing them from pain, and your freeing them from bondage, and you're freeing them from addiction. Lord God, you're freeing them from depression, you're freeing them from lies and anger, hurts and pains. God, we say thank you for a magnificent resurrection.

We say thank you for having all power in your hands. We say thank you, for the blessing that you have given us to be your disciples. Oh, Lord Jesus, oh, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord. I pray for personal revival to break out in the hearts and souls of these men and women, personal revival to break out. Lord, God I pray that they would have a hunger to read your word, and a hunger to listen, to worship music, and a hunger to pray, Lord God. Whether they are on their knees, or in their car, or in the shower, Lord God, I pray that they just want to be connected to you God.

May the longing for you be stronger than the longing for anything that they acquired in sin. May the longing for you, may the passion and desire for you overwhelm them, may their spiritual appetites increase. Lord God, I pray for anyone here that needs to give their life to you that they'll just say yes. Not going to walk you through a prayer, you just need to say yes.

If you say, "Yes" to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and renounce your sins, repent literally means to change your mind, "I changed my mind about the way I thought I was living my life. I'm just going to give my life to Christ." Tell you the angels in heaven will have a party. I know a lot of times we like to see people raise their hand and point them out, and it would just be dope if you're here a year from now when you grew up. It's not about a day it's about eternity. God, I thank you for a victorious, glorious Sunday.

A victorious glorious Sunday.