What is the significance of Easter? Is it about easter eggs and easter bunnies? Is it about jelly beans and chocolate rabbits? Is it about Easter outfits and family gatherings? Is it about forgiveness of sins and eternal life is it about something more? What is the significance of Easter?

Sometimes we define the significance of Easter by family or church traditions? Other times we get read the Easter story and yawn or an Easter message and have to hold back a yawn, because we’ve already heard that before and the whole thing feels dead and dry like eating stale bread.

However, the Christian message, of which many have died for, is not just remembered, it’s not just celebrated, it’s not just a piece of history, but after 2000 years the movement that Jesus began is still growing! What is the significance of Easter? Let’s not ask that question of me, but rather let’s ask that question of Jesus, after all, you’d think he’d have something to say about!

This morning we’re going to look at the first words of the resurrected Christ to determine, through his eyes, why what he did on the cross and what he accomplished in the resurrection.  What did Jesus’ resurrection mean to him? Read the rest of this entry »

Big idea: Jesus died for the sake of truth that leads us toward goodness, and to fight against lies that leads us towards hellishness and death

What is truth? Is there such a thing as truth? Our world suggests that you have things that are true for you, and I have things that are true for me. Is there anything that is true for all people? Is there anything that we can say is true for every child, every little girl and every little boy? Is there anything we can say is true for every adult, every person? What is truth? What determines if truth is truth, or if it isn’t?

What if there were things that were true for every human being? What if there were things that were true for all people? What if there were truths that were true for every relationship, for every marriage, for every friendship? What is truth? Read the rest of this entry »

Does anyone here find it hard to pray? We are on this journey toward Easter, so this morning I want to address an issue that is deeply related to Easter. God stepped down out of heaven in the person of Jesus and he taught us who we were created to be, then he died and rose again, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and be in a deep relationship with him. One of the primary ways that we can be in relationship to him is through prayer.

But prayer is hard. I have come to understand that prayer is hard, not just for me, but for almost everyone.  So my first question is why? If God intended us to pray, why would it be so hard for us to do that? This morning I want to address seven questions about prayer that I believe will help us to pray better, because when people come up with the wrong answers to these questions, prayer will be difficult.

Throughout the majority of my life, I have struggled with prayer. After having made significant strides in my prayer life during the past couple of years, I’ve come to understand that prayer is a spiritual life-line. Prayer is to you and I what an umbilical cord is to an unborn child. We can’t live the good life that God created us for, without prayer. Prayer is as necessary to our spiritual lives as breathing is to our physical lives. Prayer is essential for life.

Prayer is hard, but it is essential, therefore, we must struggle with it in the same way as someone who can’t breathe struggles to have that breathe.

Prayer is essential, but it’s hard. Why? Read the rest of this entry »