Divided by The Resurrection (Easter Sunday Service) - (On Trial pt 1)

He is risen! Let's try that again. He is risen! Amen. God is good. Good morning to you; it's great to see you. I see a number of new faces here. I'm Pastor Miles, for those of you who don't know. If you would, open your Bibles this morning to Acts chapter 22. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. Acts 22 is where we're going to be.

I realized this week, as I was preparing for this message, that today, April 20th, although it is Easter, it is also the sixth anniversary of the day that I was introduced as the lead pastor of this church. Six years ago, it was interesting to reflect on that this last week. Some of you were here when that took place, and as I thought about it, I know more now than I did then how much of a privilege it is to serve as the pastor of this church. Especially since, because of you, this is the best church in the world. I'm not biased at all.

Acts chapter 22:30 is where we're going to be. If you've been with us over the last several weeks, you know that we've been in the book of Acts. We're going to continue in the book of Acts today, and it just so happens, by God's providence, that the passage has something to do with resurrection.

In Acts chapter 22:30, we read, "The next day, because the Roman commander wanted to know for certain why Paul was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds and commanded that the chief priests and all their counsel appear. He brought Paul down and set him before them."

Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." The high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to the high priest, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?"

Those who stood by said, "Do you revile God's high priest?" Then Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

But when Paul perceived that one part of those there were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out to the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and concerning the hope of the resurrection...".

Resurrection. I am being judged. Father, we pray for Your wisdom. We pray that You would give us insight as we look into Your Word. Help us to make application from it. Jesus, You promised that as You ascended into heaven, You would give the Spirit of Truth, who would guide us into all truth and teach us all things. So we ask that You, by Your Holy Spirit, would do just that this Resurrection Day. Speak to us, guide us, and give us understanding. May these things that we see in this passage transform our lives for the better in some measurable way. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen."

You can be seated. Today, we're going to begin a new series in the Book of Acts called "On Trial." If you look in your bulletin, you'll see there's a sermon guide in there that says "On Trial: Acts 23-26." Over the next several chapters, we're going to be looking at the reality that Paul is on trial. He will spend the final ten years of his life as a prisoner of Rome, starting first in the city of Jerusalem, as we will see in this passage today. After that, he will be in the city of Caesarea by the Sea, and then from there, he will be extradited to Rome to stand trial before Caesar of Rome, Caesar Nero.

Paul, being a Roman citizen, had the right and privilege to appeal his case to Caesar, and he will do that. Prior to this, over the last month and a half or so, we have been going through the Book of Acts, discussing the Apostle Paul as he was on his final journey to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary trip, his third church planting journey. He was leaving Greece and making his way down to Jerusalem. Everywhere he went, he received reports from the churches that chains and tribulations awaited him in Jerusalem. Persecution was in front of him. Paul, who was once a passionate persecutor of Christians, was being told that he would become a persecuted Christian. In Acts 20:24, he says, "None of these..."

Things move me; neither do I count my life dear to myself, that I may finish my race with joy. He knew that it was God who had called him to go to Jerusalem, and he was headed in that direction, wanting to fulfill the mission that God had called him to. Although he knew that suffering awaited him and that there would be difficulty before him, when he came into Jerusalem, he did find that, as we saw a couple of weeks ago, he was in the temple there.

In Jerusalem, an angry mob was stirred up against him. People ran upon him, seized him, and pulled him outside of the temple, intending to kill him. While they were beating him, we see that the Roman Commander, as the Romans were occupying Judea, brought soldiers down and took Paul into captivity. They bound him with two chains, and as he was being escorted back into the barracks of the Romans to be beaten, he spoke to this Roman Commander in Greek and said, "Hey, can I speak to this group of people for a moment?"

Then he spoke to this angry mob in Hebrew. The Roman Commander couldn't understand what he said, but at a certain point, all of these people began to yell and scream that this Paul should not be upon the Earth; he is not fit to live. They tore at their clothes, and so the Roman Commander pulled Paul back into the barracks to beat him again. Paul then said, "Hey, do you do this to Roman citizens?" and the whole thing stopped there.

Now we come to verse 30 of Acts chapter 22, the last verse of the chapter. It says, "The next day," immediately following the events that happened in the temple and Paul being beaten just outside of the temple. The next day, Paul was probably still very bruised from the beating he received from those Jewish men in the temple. The Roman Commander wanted to know why Paul was accused by the Jews, so he released him from his bonds and commanded the chief priests and the council to appear.

The Commander had the power and authority, if you will, to subpoena the Jewish religious leading council in Jerusalem, called the Sanhedrin, which would have been overseen and led by the high priest. He called them and said, "Listen, you need to gather the Sanhedrin together, and I want to know what is going on with this individual that you guys were beating up yesterday." They had to get to the bottom of this, so he subpoenaed them, and they brought Paul down and set him before them, as we saw very clearly in our last studies together.

Your outline includes a sermon guide in your bulletin.

Point number one: Living for Jesus will cause a stir. You can be absolutely certain that if your faith is alive and active, it will be disruptive. It will disrupt the status quo. You see this throughout the Book of Acts. Wherever the gospel went, wherever individuals who are followers of Jesus went with a live, vibrant, and active faith, there was a disruption to the status quo. Whether it was in Jerusalem, Galatia, Ephesus, or Macedonia, wherever the gospel went, there was a stir.

If you study through church history, you'll see that this is the case as well. Wherever the gospel goes, wherever followers of Jesus, His disciples, go, there is a stir; there is a commotion. As Paul describes in his letter to the church at Ephesus, this whole world is under a certain current. It is under the sway of one who is set against the kingdom of God. We do believe that there is an enemy, whom we call the devil, who is opposed to the work of God, the Church of God, and the kingdom of God. He rules over the affairs of men in this world.

So, wherever God's church and God's people go—because God's people are His church—we can be certain that there will be conflict, a collision, and a disruption. If you're living for Jesus, you will cause a stir.

The sad reality is that many Christians, especially in our day, have an overly casual or passive faith. It's rather easy to adopt this mindset here in our own nation. We live in a nation that many people believe was founded on Judeo-Christian values and a theistic worldview. As a result of living in a culture with this foundation, it’s fairly easy to go about your daily life without thinking too much about the fact that we are not of this world.

This idea has become cliché, as people put it on stickers on their cars, and they even have shoes and pants now that say "not of this world." But it is a reality. We are citizens, as the Bible says in Philippians, citizens of...

Heaven is our ultimate destination, and we are ambassadors of God here on Earth. However, because of the climate and culture in which we live, it is easy for us to be passive. The Apostle Paul was not at all passive in his faith, was he? When you follow him through his ministry, you find that he was zealously living out his faith in Jesus Christ. As a result, everywhere Paul went, there was either a revival, a riot, or both. People would come to faith, and the power of God working in their lives would sometimes cause riots among the people in those places.

The city of Ephesus is a great example of this. You can read about it in Acts chapters 18 and 19, where you see the stir that was caused because people were departing from the worship of Diana, the idol there. They were beginning to worship the one true God, and many people made their entire livelihood from the worship of Diana. As that worship began to fall apart, a riot ensued.

I remember some years ago, I was talking with a group of people, not necessarily a group of Christians. As I was conversing, one of the guys standing there pulled out a cigarette and started smoking. I said, "I didn't know that you were a smoker." He replied, "Well, I'm just a social smoker." I responded, "So you're a smoker." He insisted, "No, I'm a social smoker." I said, "But you're a smoker." He explained, "I only smoke when I'm with people." I replied, "Okay, well, you're a smoker."

Unfortunately, there are a lot of Christians who are just social Christians. They are only really Christians when they are in the presence of other Christians, in a place like this, in a church. Jesus said something very challenging in the Gospel of Matthew. Well, Jesus said a lot of challenging things; this was just one of them. In Matthew chapter 10, Jesus is preparing to send His disciples out to preach the gospel. He is readying them for this mission and says these challenging words in Matthew 10:33: "Whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven." Now those are powerful words.

Challenging words, aren't they? Whoever denies me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. I suggest to you that they might be less challenging if Jesus simply said, "Whoever denies me, I will deny him," without those two words "before men." It reduces the conflict for us.

If Jesus were to speak to you and say, "If you deny me, I'll deny you," you'd say, "Lord, I would never deny you." I know that you'd probably say that if you're a follower of Jesus because that's what Jesus's disciples said to Him in Matthew chapter 26. In this chapter, Jesus is speaking with His disciples, and He says to Peter, who was probably the most outspoken of the twelve, "You don't know what you're saying. You're going to deny me before this very night is over, three times."

Peter, in Matthew 26, around verse 35, responds, "Lord, though I were to die with you, I would never deny you." It says, "And so said all the disciples." If Jesus were to say to you or to me, "Don't ever deny me," we'd say, "Lord, I would never even think of denying you."

But He says here, "Whoever denies me before men." The reality is that if we're honest, even I, all of us, would have to say that there have been times when we, in our silence, have denied Him before others. Although we live in a nation that has its foundation or its founding principles rooted in a Judeo-Christian mindset and a theistic worldview, we're living in a culture that has changed.

Culture always changes; it's not static. It's dynamic and continually evolving. As a result of all the things that have happened through science and technology in our nation, many people have now pushed back away from the table of Christianity. There are quite a few people, a growing number, who look at individuals like you—who go to church, believe in Jesus, and believe that there actually was an event 2,000 years ago called the resurrection—and they look at you and say, "What is wrong with you?"

As a result, there's a temptation in every single one of our hearts just to keep it a little bit quiet. Maybe you don't see quite as many fish stickers anymore as you once did, although now we have the "Not of This World" thing. But people go, "I don't..."

Even knowing what that means, there was a time when a lot of people had the fish stickers on their cars. They probably took them off because they kept cutting people off on the freeway, and they didn't want to do that anymore. But whatever the case, there are far fewer people who are overt in saying, "I'm a Christian; I go to church." Why? Well, because they just don't really want to get into it with people.

Although we would say, "Lord, I would never deny You," there is a part of us that, in our silence, has done that. I've done that, and probably so have you. I'm very thankful that this story is given to us in Matthew chapter 26, when Peter says, "Lord, I will never deny You." I'm grateful that Jesus, before that event happened, says to Peter, "Satan has desired to sift you like wheat, and when you have returned, strengthen your brethren." He tells Peter that he is going to deny Him, but when he comes back, he should strengthen his brothers.

It is strengthening to me to know that Peter, although he denied the Lord, confessed and repented of that, and the Lord welcomed him back. Maybe it would be on this Easter Sunday that some of us would have to say, "Lord, I confess I've, in my silence, denied You before men." Why? Because I know that living for Jesus will cause a stir, and I'm not entirely sure I want to cause a stir.

For the vast majority of us, we would like to be anonymous. Statistically speaking, studies have shown that anywhere between 45 and 75% of Americans are introverts. Most of the people in this room and in this world are introverts. This means they would probably just like to go about their business and live and let live. They don't really want to talk to anybody, and they prefer not to be looked at. Most people are like that.

So, if living for Jesus means you're going to cause a stir, there is no way to live for Jesus and not cause a stir. There is a temptation to remain anonymous. You might go to Christians Anonymous once a week on Sunday from 8:30 until 10:00. We gather in this room, and there we close the doors. Then someone comes up and says, "I'm a Christian; I got a guitar. Let's stand." You might think, "I'll stand because I'm a Christian, but I'm anonymous." Then you look around and see that guy over there; he's a little bit less...

Anonymous raised his hands. I don't know if I can do that. This is Christians Anonymous; your secret is safe with us. Isn't there that temptation? We know there is. Well, Paul was an outspoken follower of Jesus. Not just Paul; you go down the list: Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, Thomas. You see they were all outspoken followers of Jesus. They knew that their faith, their following of Jesus, was going to cause a stir, and it did. You cannot be a Christian actively following Jesus and not cause a stir.

Paul was now brought before this council. In Acts 23, Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." Then the high priest, who was in that council, a man by the name of Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike Paul on the mouth. To this extremely religious individual, the high priest of Israel, the one who oversaw all the priestly duties in the temple, the one who offered sacrifice daily for himself before doing anything for the people, Ananias could hardly contain himself when he heard Paul—a man who had been carried outside of the temple because he was reaching out to Gentiles, carrying the gospel to non-Jews—say, "I have lived before God with a good conscience unto this day."

Ananias said, "I can't believe you would say such a thing! What an audacious, arrogant, cocky, and absurd claim!" He broke protocol and said to those who were standing by Paul, "Smack that guy! How dare you say such a thing? Smack him!"

And Paul, oh, I love Paul. Then he said, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall." Wow, what chutzpah! Paul had courage.

Paul's words reflect a strong sense of conviction when he says, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall." This phrase is reminiscent of the words spoken by Jesus to the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees in Matthew chapter 23, where He calls them hypocrites, comparing them to whitewashed tombs. Jesus points out that they appear beautiful on the outside but are inwardly full of dead men's bones.

In a similar vein, Paul addresses the high priest, stating, "You sit to judge me according to the law, and you command me to be struck contrary to the law." It is important to note that Jewish law prohibited striking another person in this manner. The law stated that he who strikes the cheek of an Israelite strikes, as it were, the glory of God, and he that strikes a man strikes the Holy One. Paul highlights the hypocrisy of the high priest's actions, saying, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall."

As Paul makes this statement, those standing nearby lean over and ask, "Hey Paul, do you revile the high priest?" Paul responds, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler over your people.'" This moment is significant because Paul immediately recants his previous statement, recognizing that it was disrespectful to speak against someone in authority, even if he believed the high priest was acting unjustly.

This teaches us an important lesson about respect. Even when we disagree with others or feel they are not acting as they should, we should still maintain a level of respect. Paul demonstrates this respect, acknowledging his misstep.

He also makes a profound statement: "I have lived before God until this day with a good conscience." These words carry significant weight, as they express his commitment to walking with God and maintaining a pure and clean conscience. This is a powerful reminder of the importance of integrity in our lives.

Paul is not saying here that he lived sinlessly or perfectly. He confesses a number of times in his writings that he was not perfect, that he was the chief of all sinners, and that he was less than the least of all the apostles and saints. He knew that he was not perfect. So, what is he saying when he claims, "I have lived before God with a pure conscience"?

I submit to you that he is referring to Romans chapter 4, where he states that God has given us a conscience that accuses us or excuses us. It accuses us when we've done wrong and excuses us when we're walking rightly. God's Spirit is very active in this whole process. Paul is saying that when he is walking out of a pure heart and in integrity, when his conscience challenges him and accuses him, he repents and confesses. He is walking in a pure conscience.

However, for those religious leaders seated in that room on the Council of the Sanhedrin that day, this was a very hard concept to fathom. Why? Because they lived under a very strict religious system where their righteousness or justification came from doing good things and avoiding bad things. This is something one might be able to fake in front of others, but when it is just you by yourself before God, it is another story.

Some of you in this room came out of a more religiously structured system where you adhered to strict rules: you didn't do this, you didn't touch that, and you did certain things on specific days. Because of this, you felt righteous, and others may have looked at you and thought, "Wow, that guy's really got it going on." But when it was just you before God, you would have to say, "I don't know."

Paul, however, confidently states that he has lived before God with a good conscience. To those religious leaders, this was unfathomable.

Point number two on your outline: Paul's faith upset their religion. How is it that Paul could say, "I have lived before God with a pure conscience"? You see, such a thing is not possible by living under laws or standards.

Statutes such as these are only possible in Christ. How so? If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 9, to the right of the book of Acts, just a few books over, you will find it.

The book of Hebrews is written to people who were Christians coming out of a very staunch religious system: the Jewish religious system. The author of the book of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 9:13: "For if the blood of bulls and goats, the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the body, how much more shall the blood of Christ?"

The author of Hebrews is contrasting the Jewish religious system, which existed under sacrifice and offering to purify the body, with the sacrifice of Christ. Under that system, you could only approach God after you offered a sacrifice and an offering. This was necessary to make your body pure enough to come before Him.

However, the author points out that if that system could purify the body so that you could approach God, how much more can the blood of Christ do? Look at verse 14: "Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, to cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

You see, that sacrificial system under Judaism had its purpose and place. Its purpose was to make it possible for individuals who submitted themselves to it to come before God and worship Him at the temple. But it was not sufficient to take away sin and absolve the conscience.

Yet in Christ, the blood of Christ purges our conscience from dead works. This is why Paul could say, "I've lived before God with a pure conscience."

Over in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 21, it states that we have a high priest over the house of God. Back in Acts, Paul is in the city of Jerusalem, standing before the high priest. However, in Christ and the church, we don't have a high priest in a city; we have a high priest in heaven. His name is Jesus. The author of the book of Hebrews says we have a high priest over the house of God, so let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

You see, because of the work that Jesus did on the cross 2,000 years ago, and because He raised from the dead on Resurrection Day, which we celebrate today, He is our high priest forever. He makes it possible not only to approach God but to serve Him with a pure conscience. Paul's faith in God upset the religious system of the day. Faith in Jesus will always supersede religious endeavor.

Continuing on back to Acts, in chapter 23, Paul speaks up, saying, "I've lived before God with a pure conscience." Ananias responds, "Strike that guy on the mouth." Paul retorts, "God will strike you, you whitewashed tomb!" That's the high priest, and Paul probably shouldn't talk to him that way. However, Paul can see that this isn't going well.

When Paul perceived that one part of the group were Sadducees and the other were Pharisees, he cried out to the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and concerning the hope of the resurrection, I am being judged." When he said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. A couple of weeks ago, one of our points in our message was to be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. Paul here is exhibiting that wise as serpent mentality as he looks out at this group. Paul was a former Pharisee, and it's even plausible that at one point in time, he was a part of this very judicial system, the Sanhedrin.

As he looks out at them, he goes, "Wow, there's a group of Pharisees and a group of Sadducees." This whole group is divided by Pharisees and Sadducees. So, Paul says, "I'm going to play the resurrection card." He declares, "Guys, I'm a Pharisee," and all the Pharisees respond, "Oh really? You're a Pharisee? Oh great! Yeah, I'm the son of a Pharisee. Wow, a generation of Pharisees! That's great!" They are excited because it is because of the hope of the Resurrection that Paul is being judged.

Then Paul just went for it; it was like he threw a grenade. Why is that? This book, the Book of Acts, was written by a Greek guy named Luke to another Greek guy named Theophilus. For a bunch of Greeks, Gentiles, and for us Gentiles in the 21st century, we look at this and think, "What in the world just happened? I don't even know what just happened." It feels like an inside thing going on, and you're standing as an outsider going, "Whoa, what was that? I have no idea what that was."

It's like if you're watching rugby and everyone gets upset, and you go, "Whoa, I have no idea what happened. What did they do?" Unless you're into rugby, which you're probably not because you're an American.

Luke gives us some really important insight in verse eight: the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection. Oh, okay. Paul says, "It's because of the resurrection that I'm being judged," and now there's a fight. Why? Well, the Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection; they say there is no resurrection emphatically. Not only that, they deny the existence of angels and spirits, but the Pharisees confess both.

Then there arose a loud outcry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' party—like political parties—protested, saying, "We find no evil in this man, Paul. But just to get the goat of the Sadducees, they added, 'If an angel or a spirit has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.'"

Now Paul just made a whole bunch of friends out of those who were once enemies because he focused them on the people they really didn't like. "Wise as serpents," he said, "It's because of the hope of the resurrection that I'm being judged." Boom! The Pharisees responded, "Hey, if an angel or a spirit has revealed something to him, who are we to judge?" Now there is this contention between the groups.

Sadducees, Pharisees, and Paul all had differing views on the resurrection. Point number three on your outline is that the resurrection is the divisive issue. Whether it was 2,000 years ago in a Jewish council of Pharisees and Sadducees or in the 21st century in the United States of America, the resurrection remains a divisive issue.

Although Barna Research found in 2003 that 81% of Americans believe in life after death, the resurrection is still the contentious topic. Why is that? While 81% of Americans believe that something happens after this life, a small group—5%—believes that you might come back as a dog, hoping for a good owner. However, the overwhelming majority of Americans believe in some form of life after death.

Just this last Friday night, a new movie called "Heaven is for Real" was released. It is based on a best-selling book that came out a number of years ago about a young four-year-old boy who experienced a near-death experience. Every year, another book on near-death experiences is published. If you ever write one, it will probably become a New York Times bestseller because people are genuinely interested in these topics.

There is a lot of discussion and anticipation surrounding life after death. Eighty-one percent of Americans affirm that there is life after death, while 9% more say there might be. Only 10% of Americans assert that there is no resurrection and no life after this. They are the realists of our day, much like the Sadducees were the religious realists of Paul's time.

The Sadducees were the high-class, wealthy, aristocratic group in Jerusalem. They controlled the high priesthood because they were supportive of the Romans and King Herod, who was the one that nominated the high priest.

Year after year, many people do not believe in life after death or in the resurrection. Although 81% of Americans say that there is some sort of life after this, and 90% of Americans believe that there is probably life after this, the majority are not entirely sure. The resurrection, however, is the divisive issue. Christians believe without a doubt that there is a resurrection and that Jesus raised from the dead 2,000 years ago. He is the only way to resurrection, and therefore, it is a divisive issue.

Before He went to the Cross, Jesus said to His disciples, just hours before He would be betrayed, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me. I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you in the resurrection, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Christians believe that 2,000 years ago, Jesus died on a cross, and three days later, He rose from the dead. The tomb is empty, and He was seen by more than 500 witnesses who support the claim that He is alive. Amen! We say not only is He alive, but He is the only way to resurrection. It is the divisive issue.

Well, Paul threw out the resurrection card, pulled the pen, and dropped the grenade. All hell broke loose. In Acts 23:10, it states, "Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and to bring him into the barracks."

Point number four on your outline: the outside world is watching. Although 81% of Americans believe that there is some sort of life after this, the overwhelming majority are not entirely sure of how that looks, what it will be, or how to get there. Most of them believe that it is based on some sort of karma; if you do good things in this life, you will do better in the next life. Most people in our nation, even a great majority of those who sit in churches every single day, believe that they have to do good works to ensure that they reach that place.

If you ask a group of 100 people, "If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?" the overwhelming majority would say, "I believe that there's a heaven, but I'm not entirely sure that I'll go there." Why not? Well, many would respond, "I'm not a very good person. I hope I'll get there." A lot of people base their beliefs on that reality. However, the Bible says otherwise. There is only one way to that eternal place, and it's through faith in Jesus Christ.

Although 81% of Americans believe in some form of afterlife, only Christians have the promise and absolute certainty of that afterlife—a promise given to them by the first one to actually raise from the dead, Jesus of Nazareth. But outsiders are watching. What are they watching for? I suggest that they're watching to see how Jesus's resurrection in the past and your hope for resurrection in the future have transformed your present.

Is your life being lived out with hope, joy, and peace in the midst of trouble, suffering, and whatever you go through in this life? Can you say, "Because Jesus died and raised from the dead in the past, and because He has promised that I shall rise with Him in the future, right now I have hope, peace, and joy no matter what"? Outsiders are watching, and they're looking for that. They want to see if it is really true. Do you really believe it, or when everything hits the fan, do you fall apart just like the rest of them? They want to know.

Perhaps as you sit here today, you were invited by someone and would count yourself as an outsider. You might say, "Yeah, I'm kind of interested in these afterlife things, and I think there might be something to these near-death experiences, but I'm not entirely sure that I fully believe that Jesus raised from the dead." For you outsiders, I would encourage you to take a look at the evidence because the resurrection of Jesus is a logically provable fact.

For those of you who would count yourselves as insiders, you might say, "I'm a Christian. I go to church every week or at least a couple of times a month." You might even say, "I attend Christians Anonymous. I'm one of those people."

Regularly, I take my faith seriously. I even serve in some sort of ministry, and I give in some form or way. I would say, for you to remember, outsiders are watching. How has Jesus's resurrection in the past and your hope for resurrection in the future altered the way you live today? Because outsiders are watching, here are three application questions, and we're down at the bottom of your outline.

Number one: Am I living for Jesus? Am I actively living for Jesus? To steal a phrase from another group outside that we don't necessarily identify with, are you living out loud, or are you in the closet?

Number two: Do I have faith or just religion? I was talking with a group of Christians a few years ago about family members getting ready for Christmas or Easter; I don't remember which it was. One of the guys said, "Yeah, you know my cousin, he's a CEO Christian." I said, "I don't know what that is. What's a CEO Christian?" He said, "It's a Christmas and Easter only Christian." I said, "Oh, okay, I got that." Do you have genuine, vibrant, real faith toward God and faithfulness to God, or just religion? Do you just go through the motions, hoping that, well, I did that, so I'll be okay when I stand before the Pearly Gates and talk with Peter? I suggest to you that he's not waiting as the gate attendant.

Number three: Is my faith causing a stir? There will be evidence if we're living for Jesus. You know what? It's the reality that Christians make people uncomfortable, and their discomfort doesn't bother me. In fact, I'd rather they be uncomfortable when they're telling a dirty joke, or when they're cursing about God, or when they're talking badly about their spouse. I'd rather when someone says, "Hey, he's the chaplain," they go, "Oh, sorry, Father." I'd rather that than for them to say, "Oh, I had no idea you were a Christian."

You're one of those. I had no idea. Is my faith causing a stir? God, make my faith cause a stir, because this world needs to be shaken up. Amen.

I'm going to ask Rich to come back up and lead us in another song of worship. As he does, let's stand together. Would you close your eyes and bow your heads with me as we pray?

As we do, perhaps today for the first time, you realize that you have religion and not true faith in the Risen Jesus Christ. Perhaps you've come to see today that you do not have true hope for a future resurrection, or you recognize that you're not really living for Jesus. If this is the case, you can do a few simple things.

Number one, confess your sin. Say, "Lord, I have failed. I've fallen short." Number two, believe that Christ, 2,000 years ago, died on the cross and rose again for you. He stood in your place and my place; he took our sin upon himself there on the cross. Number three, accept his payment for your sins by faith. Number four, turn to him, being willing to turn away from your sin. And number five, follow him publicly; live it out loud. No more.

Father, we pray as we stand before you today that you would work in our lives and in our hearts. I pray that if there's anyone here today who has realized for the first time that they don't have hope of resurrection and eternity, draw them by your Spirit to yourself.

Lord, we thank you for your grace. We thank you for your love demonstrated there on the cross. We ask God that as we go away from this place today, as we engage with neighbors, friends, or family members on this holiday, as we go to work or school this week, God, I pray that you'd help us to be overt in our faith and not undercover.

Christians, we pray this in Jesus' name.