00:00:33.360 Good morning. Welcome everyone to
00:00:35.640 Freedom Church
00:00:37.320 on this Easter Sunday. He is risen. He
00:00:40.280 is alive. Amen. We worship a living God,
00:00:43.360 not a dead one, not a dead religion, but
00:00:45.560 a living breathing God who loves us and
00:00:48.040 cares about us. So, we're excited that
00:00:50.320 celebrate our very first Easter Sunday
00:00:52.680 as Freedom Church. And I want to say,
00:00:54.440 "Welcome everyone. Welcome everyone
00:00:55.880 watching online as well." And we always
00:00:58.560 stream our 11:00 a.m. service online.
00:01:00.880 So, if you're ever out of town,
00:01:01.960 traveling, or maybe you came in town
00:01:03.880 just to visit for family, you can always
00:01:06.280 stay up-to-date in what's happening here
00:01:07.960 at Freedom Church by watching our online
00:01:10.800 live stream. And today, it's all
00:01:13.640 about the resurrection. It's the same story.
00:01:15.400 I shared this on Good
00:01:17.280 Friday. I'm like, "Every year, I open
00:01:19.240 the Bible and the tomb is empty." Right?
00:01:21.520 He is risen. Every year, it's no
00:01:22.920 surprise. It's like, "Spoiler alert,
00:01:25.160 he's not dead. He is risen." Every year,
00:01:27.320 the same thing happens. Yet, it's never
00:01:29.760 gets old. It never gets to where we go,
00:01:32.480 "Oh, been there, done that, heard that,
00:01:34.080 been to Easter before." But every year,
00:01:36.880 it's the same story of the resurrection
00:01:38.800 power that rose Jesus from the dead is
00:01:41.400 that same power that's available to us
00:01:43.480 today. And he wants to restore our
00:01:46.120 lives. He wants to redeem our lives. I
00:01:48.360 believe he wants to resurrect some dead
00:01:50.080 areas of your life today as well, if you
00:01:52.880 let him. He wants to do it. He's ready
00:01:55.400 to do it. So, we're going to jump into
00:01:57.360 our text and our message today, but I
00:01:58.800 want to open just in a word of prayer.
00:02:00.920 So, would you join me? Heavenly Father,
00:02:02.640 we thank you, God, that we can come to
00:02:04.520 you. God, that we can worship you. God,
00:02:06.680 that you're not just some idol carved by
00:02:08.800 human hands, but God, you are a living,
00:02:11.000 breathing creator of the
00:02:13.240 universe. God, that you breathe your
00:02:14.720 breath into creation. God, we thank you
00:02:16.920 that you inhabit the praises of your
00:02:19.200 people. God, I pray today that we would
00:02:21.240 celebrate, we'd remember what you did by
00:02:24.400 sending your son, Jesus, to die, to be
00:02:26.760 buried, but then rising from the dead.
00:02:29.160 God, and how that applies to each and
00:02:30.880 every one of our lives. God, I pray that
00:02:32.720 your spirit would speak through me to
00:02:35.120 each and every person listening to my
00:02:36.680 voice. God, that we would speak to them
00:02:38.560 individually, speak to us collectively.
00:02:41.120 God, help us see how your resurrection
00:02:43.520 power, your the story of the
00:02:44.959 resurrection, applies to us today. In
00:02:47.640 Jesus' name. Amen.
00:02:50.480 Amen. Well, the resurrection has many
00:02:52.800 aspects to it. You know, he didn't just
00:02:54.959 rise from the dead and disappear, but
00:02:57.080 Jesus walked the earth for 40 days
00:03:00.600 after he walked out of the tomb, showing
00:03:02.800 himself to many people, over 500
00:03:05.040 witnesses we have record of. There's the
00:03:06.840 disciples, his followers, and different
00:03:08.800 people, and he was alive and well,
00:03:11.040 walking around, eating with people,
00:03:12.760 talking with people, touching people,
00:03:14.640 letting people touch him. So, the
00:03:16.720 story of the resurrection, there's so
00:03:18.120 much in encompassing of it, but today I
00:03:21.000 want us to really focus on what does the
00:03:23.160 resurrection mean for us? How does it
00:03:25.239 apply to our lives? And what are we to
00:03:26.680 do with the story that Jesus rose from
00:03:29.800 the dead? Cuz it's one thing to
00:03:31.840 acknowledge the facts.
00:03:34.120 Right? It's a it's one thing to say, I
00:03:35.440 believe he died, buried, rose from the
00:03:37.560 dead. I believe the facts. But guess
00:03:39.400 what? The demons believe the facts, they
00:03:41.320 understand the facts, yet they tremble
00:03:43.360 and fear. Because they don't have their
00:03:45.200 faith, they don't put their trust in the
00:03:47.440 one who predicted his death, burial, and
00:03:49.800 resurrection, and then walked it out,
00:03:51.720 proving that he is God. So,
00:03:54.040 acknowledging the facts is good, but
00:03:56.280 when you apply it to your life, now you
00:03:57.880 live your life as a follower of Jesus,
00:04:00.720 as a real Christian, not just because
00:04:02.720 you went to church, not because you
00:04:04.000 attended a church, or became a member,
00:04:05.760 or baptized, but because you follow
00:04:08.080 Jesus. That's where it changes. That's
00:04:10.280 where things shift from the old
00:04:12.080 life to the new life. You're like, "What
00:04:15.040 year is it?" Can anybody tell me what
00:04:16.358 year is it?
00:04:18.000 2026 AD, right? AD is Anno Domini, in
00:04:21.920 the year of our Lord. Literally, the
00:04:24.680 world's timeline is split in half
00:04:27.400 because of Jesus. The BC, before Christ,
00:04:30.480 or AD, in the year of our Lord. The
00:04:32.560 resurrection is a turning point, not
00:04:34.880 just for us as individuals, but for
00:04:36.560 history. For history, it changed from
00:04:39.160 before Christ to after Christ was
00:04:41.640 walking on the earth. And this
00:04:43.160 resurrection today, it means so much
00:04:45.320 more to us than what I believe we think
00:04:47.600 initially. So, we see the
00:04:49.919 resurrection story in Mark chapter 16.
00:04:53.160 Very early on Sunday morning, the very
00:04:56.080 first Easter morning. Now, all of you
00:04:58.600 came to the 11:00 service, so you're
00:05:00.160 like, "I'm okay with the early morning
00:05:01.760 people, but I'm a little bit later
00:05:03.240 people." Right? The early crowd, they're
00:05:05.040 like, they got this. Early on Sunday
00:05:06.960 morning, just at sunrise, they went to
00:05:10.160 the tomb. On the way, they were asking
00:05:12.040 each other, "Who will roll away the
00:05:13.480 stone for us from the entrance to the
00:05:15.800 tomb?" But as they arrived, they looked
00:05:17.840 up and saw that the stone, which was
00:05:19.800 very large, had already been rolled
00:05:22.040 aside. Now, a few verses before this,
00:05:24.640 actually Mark 15, and it leads into 16,
00:05:27.840 it says the ladies, these women, Mary
00:05:29.720 Magdalene, another Mary, and a lady
00:05:31.480 named Salome, they were heading to the
00:05:33.440 tomb. But right before this, it says
00:05:35.440 they were watching when Jesus was put
00:05:38.080 into the tomb. They knew exactly where
00:05:40.600 Jesus was buried. They watched as this
00:05:42.800 massive stone was put in front of the
00:05:44.919 tomb that weighed thousands of pounds.
00:05:47.320 So, it makes sense as on the next day,
00:05:49.000 on early on Sunday morning, as they're
00:05:50.640 making their way to the tomb, they were
00:05:52.720 asking each other, "Who's going to move
00:05:54.400 the stone?" Perhaps they thought a
00:05:56.120 gardener, somebody tending the tombs
00:05:58.120 would be there, somebody would be able
00:05:59.120 to help, but they didn't know. They went
00:06:01.080 in faith anyways.
00:06:03.440 But then when they arrived, the stone
00:06:04.800 was already turned aside. And when they
00:06:07.160 entered the tomb, in verse 5, they saw a
00:06:09.680 young man clothed in a white robe
00:06:12.320 sitting on the right side. The women
00:06:14.600 were shocked. But the angel said, "Don't
00:06:17.080 be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of
00:06:19.560 Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn't
00:06:22.800 here. He is risen from the dead. Look,
00:06:25.560 this is where they laid his body." Now,
00:06:28.200 they didn't find just any tomb. They
00:06:30.200 knew exactly where Jesus was buried.
00:06:32.160 They went into the tomb, and there's a
00:06:33.760 man, he's actually an angel, the
00:06:35.760 scripture says, an angel speaking to
00:06:38.320 these women.
00:06:39.520 Now, if any of you've ever seen an
00:06:40.919 angel, you'd probably be fearful. Every
00:06:42.200 time you see in the Bible, people see
00:06:44.000 angels, they usually start with, "Don't
00:06:46.160 be afraid." There's a reason they have
00:06:48.400 to say that, because they were always
00:06:49.760 afraid. But these women are startled by
00:06:52.000 this angel who's in the tomb. He says,
00:06:54.280 "Don't be alarmed. I know you're looking
00:06:56.400 for Jesus, the one who was crucified.
00:06:58.360 Actually, here they laid his body right
00:07:00.000 here." He goes, "But he isn't here
00:07:01.800 anymore. He is risen from the dead. He
00:07:04.880 is alive. That's what Easter is all
00:07:07.280 about, celebrating the resurrection of
00:07:09.600 Jesus. When you go looking for Jesus,
00:07:12.600 many people I talk to are looking for
00:07:14.280 something spiritual. They're looking for
00:07:16.200 religion. They're looking for answers of
00:07:18.280 life. If you seek Jesus, you will find a
00:07:21.560 living, risen king that we get to serve,
00:07:24.360 that we get to know, that we get to
00:07:25.840 worship. That's who Jesus is.
00:07:28.840 He tells them he's not here. Then he
00:07:30.400 tells the ladies, "Go and tell his
00:07:32.240 disciples, including Peter, that Jesus
00:07:35.720 is going ahead of you to Galilee. You
00:07:37.960 will see him there, just as he told you
00:07:40.200 before he died." Now, it's very
00:07:42.400 interesting he says go tell the
00:07:43.720 disciples including Peter.
00:07:46.440 Now why wouldn't he just say go tell
00:07:47.560 everybody? Go tell the disciples, go
00:07:49.520 tell the followers. Why would he specify
00:07:52.520 including Peter? We're going to look at
00:07:55.040 why I believe he mentioned and called
00:07:57.480 out Peter specifically. But he says I'm
00:08:02.520 going to meet you ahead in Galilee. So
00:08:04.640 the Easter story as much as it's about
00:08:06.160 the resurrection of Jesus, that's where
00:08:08.000 it all starts. Everything rises and
00:08:10.120 falls on the resurrection. As Paul said
00:08:11.880 in 1 Corinthians 15 he goes without the
00:08:14.480 resurrection all this is useless. All
00:08:16.919 this is folly. It's silliness if Jesus
00:08:19.560 did not rise from the dead. But the
00:08:21.120 resurrection also points to some
00:08:23.560 different aspects. The redemption of
00:08:26.800 Jesus Christ, the reconciliation of us
00:08:29.919 and man of mankind and God and the rest
00:08:32.679 restoration that God has for each of us.
00:08:34.640 Now I want to explain the difference in
00:08:36.200 some of these words. The resurrection,
00:08:38.479 Jesus rose from the dead. Because of the
00:08:41.120 resurrection, the redemption we have
00:08:43.360 available to us that the work that Jesus
00:08:45.839 Christ did on the cross, his sacrifice
00:08:49.040 on the cross was an act of a ransom,
00:08:51.720 a transaction that was paid to redeem
00:08:53.720 us. Right? When you have a coupon or a
00:08:55.560 ticket or a certificate and you turn
00:08:57.280 that in there's a transaction that
00:08:59.960 happens to redeem something. You get
00:09:02.040 something in exchange for what you're
00:09:05.920 redeeming. Jesus gave his life as an as
00:09:09.360 a transaction as an as a redemptive work
00:09:13.680 to purchase us, to buy back our lives.
00:09:16.360 Our lives because of our sin, because of
00:09:18.160 our falling away from God, because of us
00:09:20.240 breaking our relationship with God, he
00:09:23.800 had to redeem us. He had to purchase us
00:09:25.040 back.
00:09:28.720 In Colossians 1:13 and 14
00:09:30.400 it says for he has rescued us, speaking
00:09:33.400 about Jesus, rescued us from the kingdom
00:09:36.200 of darkness and transferred us into the
00:09:39.440 kingdom of his dear son, who purchased
00:09:42.320 our freedom and forgave our sins. That
00:09:45.080 word purchased is redeemed. He purchases
00:09:48.080 He redeemed us. He bought us back and
00:09:51.320 forgave our sins. How many of you enjoy
00:09:52.600 freedom?
00:09:54.480 How many of you enjoy Jesus paying for
00:09:56.280 your sins? How many of you know that
00:09:58.240 Jesus has redeemed your life,
00:09:59.760 transferred you from the kingdom of
00:10:01.720 darkness into the kingdom of life? If
00:10:03.120 that If you know that's true, will you
00:10:05.200 give him a clap?
00:10:08.560 Praise God.
00:10:11.000 But res- restoration is a different
00:10:13.000 process. Restoration is a is actually a
00:10:15.400 longer process by which you restore
00:10:18.120 something back to its original intended
00:10:20.280 value. So, there's a a
00:10:22.440 redemptive work, it's an act, but then
00:10:25.040 there's a process of restoration that
00:10:27.040 all of us are in. We're all in this
00:10:29.120 process called sanctification that we're
00:10:31.920 becoming more like Jesus as he's
00:10:34.280 restoring our lives. He's healing our
00:10:36.840 lives. He's developing us. He's building
00:10:38.680 uh perseverance and character and
00:10:40.920 strength within us. That's part of the
00:10:44.520 process of biblical restoration.
00:10:46.200 The problem is sometimes we want the
00:10:49.120 restoration without the redemption.
00:10:50.560 Meaning if we haven't put our faith and
00:10:52.920 trust in Jesus and have our lives
00:10:55.600 redeemed, purchased back from Jesus,
00:10:58.400 then all the restoration looks like I'm
00:11:00.360 trying to be a good person. I'm trying
00:11:02.160 to do good and be good and I want to
00:11:04.839 look like I have all this value rather
00:11:07.080 than saying my value comes from Christ
00:11:10.240 alone. He bought me with his blood. That
00:11:11.839 song we were singing, "Thank you, Jesus,
00:11:13.880 for the blood. Nothing but the blood can
00:11:16.880 truly wash us clean, to make us whole,
00:11:20.400 to purchase us back." Then we allow God
00:11:22.920 to restore us through relationship with
00:11:25.400 him. Apart from relationship with God,
00:11:27.360 it's a lot of good works. It's a lot of
00:11:29.640 trying our best, but we always are going
00:11:31.600 to fall short if God's not the one
00:11:33.320 restoring us.
00:11:35.360 I used to be in the business of
00:11:37.800 restoring houses. I used to buy and flip
00:11:40.520 houses. Um I would buy the worst of the
00:11:42.680 worst house. Like my wife would be like,
00:11:44.480 "You're nuts. What are you doing?" And I
00:11:45.920 I'd find like the worst house, the
00:11:48.120 houses that were abused, abandoned,
00:11:50.360 neglected, condemned, literally
00:11:51.840 condemned by the city. They should be
00:11:53.400 torn down. And I'd go, "I'll buy it.
00:11:55.440 I'll fix it up." And I had to go through
00:11:57.280 all the process of renovating from top
00:11:59.600 to bottom, restoring these houses to
00:12:01.160 make them the most beautiful house on
00:12:02.840 the street. To make them not just so
00:12:05.080 they had value, but it would add value
00:12:07.280 to all the houses around it. And I say
00:12:08.840 all that cuz it was something that was
00:12:10.320 such a drive in me. I think something
00:12:13.280 God was doing in me that I was restoring
00:12:15.760 all these old houses. And God at one
00:12:17.560 point told me, I believe he said to me,
00:12:19.600 "I want you to do this with people."
00:12:20.840 I want you to take people who are
00:12:22.840 abused, who are neglected, who are
00:12:25.000 abandoned, who are condemned, and show
00:12:26.440 them how beautiful they can be. Show
00:12:28.320 them the value that they can have. Not
00:12:30.320 just for their life, but so that other
00:12:32.480 people around them can value and gain as
00:12:34.040 well. Their families could be better.
00:12:35.560 Their children could be better. Their
00:12:37.520 marriages could be restored. That the
00:12:40.160 restoration power that we have available
00:12:42.040 available to us is because of the
00:12:43.880 resurrection of Jesus. That the
00:12:47.280 restoration of stuff and of houses is
00:12:49.520 nothing compared to the restorative work
00:12:50.800 of people.
00:12:51.800 People are the only things that are
00:12:53.560 going to last for eternity. All those
00:12:55.280 houses I restored, they're going to be
00:12:56.520 needing restored again. They're going to
00:12:57.560 crumble. They're going to fall. They're
00:12:58.760 going to burn down. They're going to
00:12:59.760 Whatever's going to happen to those
00:13:03.040 houses. But people last for eternity.
00:13:05.320 People are the most important and most
00:13:07.920 valued thing to God. And that's what he
00:13:09.400 says about each of you that you are
00:13:12.040 valuable. You are important to him.
00:13:14.320 So much so that he sent Jesus to
00:13:17.320 reconcile us to him. That reconciliation
00:13:20.040 we see in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, it's
00:13:22.640 really a restoring of a proper loving
00:13:24.920 relationship that has been broken.
00:13:26.560 That's what the definition of
00:13:29.680 reconciliation. In verse 18, it says all
00:13:32.240 of this is a gift from God who brought
00:13:35.480 us back to himself through Christ. God
00:13:37.880 has given us this task of reconciling
00:13:41.120 people to him. For God was in Christ
00:13:43.800 reconciling the world to himself, no
00:13:46.040 longer counting people's sins against
00:13:49.000 them. He gave us this wonderful message
00:13:51.880 of reconciliation. In verse 20, so we
00:13:55.120 are Christ's ambassadors. God is making
00:13:57.120 his appeal through us. We speak for
00:13:59.280 Christ when we plead, "Come back to
00:14:01.960 God." For God made Christ who never
00:14:05.280 sinned to be the offering for our sin
00:14:07.400 so that we could be made right with God
00:14:08.920 through Christ.
00:14:11.600 Reconciliation, simply put, is making us
00:14:14.440 back into a right relationship with God.
00:14:16.720 The reality is every single one of us
00:14:18.000 have sinned.
00:14:19.680 The reality is all of our sin was why
00:14:22.000 Jesus had to go to the cross. What we
00:14:23.720 remembered and what we recognized on
00:14:25.760 Good Friday was the death and the
00:14:28.560 sacrifice of Jesus. As horrible and
00:14:30.320 bloody as it was, it was the most
00:14:32.160 beautiful act of love that we could have
00:14:34.600 ever imagined. That Good Friday is good
00:14:36.920 because Sunday is coming because we
00:14:40.920 celebrate the empty tomb.
00:14:43.520 And apart from Jesus, we can't be made
00:14:44.920 right with God.
00:14:46.800 Our good works and our efforts will
00:14:49.600 always fall short. We can never be good
00:14:52.200 enough to be made right with God on our
00:14:54.520 own. But through Christ, the one who
00:14:57.120 knew no sin, became an offering for our
00:14:59.800 sin. He's the one who makes us right
00:15:01.960 with God.
00:15:03.120 So, we're going to switch and look at a
00:15:04.960 a guy named Peter. I want to show you a
00:15:07.200 story that I believe is so powerful and
00:15:09.520 so impactful post-resurrection, a story
00:15:10.880 about a guy named Peter. He was one of
00:15:13.839 the apostles, one of the original 12. He
00:15:15.000 actually is one of the top three
00:15:17.200 followers of Jesus. Many of you read
00:15:18.360 through the Gospels, you'd say he's
00:15:19.920 probably the number one guy. Like it's
00:15:22.240 Jesus, his number his right-hand man was
00:15:24.560 Peter. Peter would take charge. Peter
00:15:26.880 was leading the other disciples. Yet
00:15:29.200 this guy Peter was untrained,
00:15:32.240 uneducated. He was a cussing fisherman,
00:15:34.200 right? So anybody else like you like oh,
00:15:36.560 Jesus could use me? Right? I identify
00:15:38.480 I'm not trained, I'm uneducated but
00:15:40.480 but he picked these guys that most of
00:15:42.880 the world would say are not good enough.
00:15:45.280 He chose men who were screwed up, messed
00:15:47.760 up, jacked up, but they were real. They
00:15:50.240 were authentic. I tell our teams serving
00:15:52.280 here I said, "Hey, we're not performing.
00:15:54.000 We're not trying to be perfect for you.
00:15:56.000 We're just going to be real." Freedom
00:15:57.880 Church is full of a bunch of just real,
00:16:00.400 authentic people loving Jesus, doing our
00:16:02.440 best to follow him, and to point people
00:16:04.160 to him as well. If that sounds like
00:16:05.320 something you want to be a part of,
00:16:07.160 you're in the right place.
00:16:09.520 We're not perfect.
00:16:11.720 But Peter, he walks on water. I mean,
00:16:13.400 one of only two people recorded in
00:16:15.600 history. Jesus walked on water and Peter
00:16:17.240 walked on water. And I know people say
00:16:19.520 sometimes, "Yeah, but he fell. He took
00:16:20.680 his eyes off him." I'm like, "How many
00:16:22.160 times have you walked on water?" would
00:16:24.160 be my question. HE STILL WALKED ON
00:16:25.800 WATER. Even if it was one step, two
00:16:28.280 steps, he still had faith to step out on
00:16:30.600 the water. He witnessed miracle after
00:16:33.160 miracle. He participated in the feeding
00:16:35.360 of the 5,000. He was on the mountain of
00:16:38.080 transfiguration watching God come down
00:16:39.520 in the presence.
00:16:41.000 Peter witnessed so many things,
00:16:42.960 participated in these miracles. He was
00:16:44.960 the He was very outspoken. He took
00:16:46.800 charge whenever needed. This guy was
00:16:48.760 like he was the top dog when you look at
00:16:51.200 his ministry resume, you would think he
00:16:53.720 he's so perfect. He did so many things
00:16:55.440 so well.
00:16:56.880 Yet at the same time he had so many
00:16:59.280 times he messed up. So many times he
00:17:01.680 fell flat. So many times he questioned
00:17:04.199 Jesus. And we actually see
00:17:05.880 one of them at the Last Supper, actually
00:17:08.839 right after the Last Supper. So Jesus is
00:17:11.000 meeting with his disciples. He's about
00:17:12.480 to go to the Garden of Gethsemane. He's
00:17:14.720 about to be betrayed, arrested, and led
00:17:16.959 to his crucifixion. He's teaching his
00:17:19.560 disciples this final discourse and on
00:17:22.640 the way to the garden in Matthew 26,
00:17:24.240 Jesus says this to the fall his
00:17:26.439 followers to these disciples. He says
00:17:27.760 tonight
00:17:29.840 all of you will desert me.
00:17:31.520 Now, they just watched Judas leave and
00:17:33.160 they may not all understood it but they
00:17:35.000 said one of you is going to betray me.
00:17:36.920 He gives us the bread that the cup to
00:17:39.960 Jesus Judas and Judas goes away.
00:17:41.680 And he says tonight you will all desert
00:17:43.440 me.
00:17:45.200 Now, they just had this amazing dinner
00:17:47.240 and this amazing feast of Passover and
00:17:49.360 and all these things Jesus was teaching
00:17:51.600 but he says the scripture say
00:17:54.080 God will strike the shepherd speaking
00:17:56.880 about himself and the sheep of the flock
00:17:59.840 will be scattered. But after I have I
00:18:01.800 raised been raised from the dead, I will
00:18:04.200 go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you
00:18:05.440 there.
00:18:07.640 So, on the way to the garden, Jesus
00:18:09.320 tells them flat out what's going to
00:18:11.080 happen. He says God's going to strike
00:18:12.400 the shepherd. I'm going to lay down my
00:18:14.760 life. The sheep are going to scatter but
00:18:17.960 I'm going to rise back from the dead.
00:18:20.520 He's makes this bombshell drop of a of a
00:18:22.720 statement but then Peter answers in
00:18:25.640 verse 33, "Though they all fall away
00:18:28.400 because of you, I will never fall away."
00:18:29.920 Doesn't even acknowledge that Jesus
00:18:31.440 literally just said, "I'm going to be
00:18:33.600 dead and come back to life." He just
00:18:35.280 skips over that whole thing goes, "Yeah,
00:18:36.880 but they're going to fall away but I
00:18:38.960 won't fall away." And this is important
00:18:41.280 because many times I believe we miss
00:18:43.640 it when we're focusing too much on other
00:18:45.800 people. We're focusing on what somebody
00:18:47.560 else is doing or we're looking what
00:18:49.200 somebody else is doing wrong or we're
00:18:50.800 looking at somebody else's stuff rather
00:18:52.640 than looking at what God is speaking to
00:18:55.560 us. Jesus I believe is speaking to you
00:18:58.520 right now in this moment today and if
00:18:59.840 you get caught up in looking what
00:19:02.160 everyone else is doing, you'll miss out
00:19:03.920 on your moment that Jesus is trying to
00:19:05.400 speak to you.
00:19:08.320 Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you,
00:19:10.240 this very night before the rooster
00:19:13.400 crows, you will deny me three times."
00:19:16.520 Peter said to him, "Even if I must die,
00:19:18.240 I will not deny you." And all the
00:19:20.880 disciples said the same.
00:19:23.800 Now, Peter was commonly known to correct
00:19:26.440 Jesus. And just a tidbit, I
00:19:28.760 don't recommend you ever correct Jesus.
00:19:31.120 It's always a bad idea.
00:19:32.960 But Peter, he would often challenge
00:19:34.520 Jesus. He would Jesus would say
00:19:35.760 something, he goes, "No, that's not
00:19:37.880 going to happen that way." And it always
00:19:39.760 happened that way. So when Jesus says
00:19:41.640 he's going to deny him, he's like, "No,
00:19:44.360 I won't deny you. I would die with you."
00:19:46.240 And he makes this oath and he promises
00:19:48.720 that he would not deny Jesus. And the
00:19:51.640 disciples, they said the same thing.
00:19:53.160 And guess what? Just a little bit later,
00:19:55.160 a few moments later, they're all falling
00:19:57.040 asleep. They can't stay awake. Well,
00:19:58.560 Jesus said, "Will you stay awake while I
00:20:01.080 go and pray?" And three times Jesus goes
00:20:02.800 to pray, he comes back and he finds them
00:20:04.960 sleeping. These same guys that have so
00:20:07.520 much excitement and passion and zeal and
00:20:08.880 they're swearing that they would never
00:20:11.840 deny Jesus, can't even stay awake while
00:20:13.560 Jesus is praying one of the most
00:20:16.280 heartfelt, pouring his heart out to God
00:20:19.240 prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane.
00:20:21.000 So to summarize the next
00:20:23.920 passage here in Matthew 26,
00:20:26.400 Jesus gets betrayed.
00:20:28.760 He's arrested by a crowd, a mob of
00:20:30.840 people with clubs and swords. They come
00:20:33.560 and arrest Jesus. And what happens? All
00:20:35.600 the disciples run away. It says they
00:20:37.000 flee.
00:20:39.160 They're afraid for their lives.
00:20:40.960 They take Jesus into the high priest
00:20:43.080 court. So they march him into a
00:20:46.480 courtyard and Peter can see Jesus. Peter
00:20:48.880 follows at a distance and he's watching
00:20:51.200 Jesus. And Jesus is being spit on. This
00:20:52.760 is where they put a crown of thorns on
00:20:54.320 him. They wrap his
00:20:56.360 put a robe of scarlet around him.
00:20:57.800 They're mocking him. They're hitting
00:20:59.560 him. They're spitting on him.
00:21:02.200 Peter's watching this at a distance
00:21:04.200 and he says it says he warms himself by
00:21:06.640 a charcoal fire.
00:21:09.480 Peter denies Jesus three times.
00:21:10.960 First time was this little girl, she
00:21:12.160 came up to him and says, "Hey, aren't
00:21:14.280 you one of Jesus' followers?" He says,
00:21:15.520 "No, I'm not one of them. You got
00:21:16.520 somebody You're thinking of somebody
00:21:18.280 else." Then somebody else comes up to
00:21:19.480 him and says, "Hey, aren't you one of
00:21:21.200 those Galileans? You must be one of his
00:21:24.000 followers." The second time Jesus denies
00:21:26.240 being a follower of Jesus. Then the
00:21:28.000 third time they say, "Yeah, we can tell
00:21:30.040 by your accent, you're one of them.
00:21:32.360 You're one of those followers of Jesus."
00:21:34.160 But this time Peter
00:21:37.280 he denies Jesus with an oath, even
00:21:39.320 curses and says that he doesn't even
00:21:41.680 know the man. He flat-out lies and at
00:21:43.720 the moment he denies Jesus the third
00:21:46.600 time, the rooster crows.
00:21:48.760 And in Luke 22 it says that he looks and
00:21:50.680 Jesus sees Peter.
00:21:53.280 And Peter, I can imagine just full of
00:21:56.040 shame and guilt, embarrassment,
00:21:58.680 humiliation. Says he leaves and weeps
00:22:01.280 bitterly.
00:22:02.840 He had this moment of Jesus telling him
00:22:04.000 he's going to deny him. He says, "No, I
00:22:06.240 won't deny you. I would die for you." To
00:22:08.760 then running, following at the distance
00:22:10.280 and then denying him three times and he
00:22:12.560 knew that Jesus knew what he had just
00:22:14.360 done.
00:22:16.840 I don't believe we can truly experience
00:22:20.200 reconciliation without brokenness.
00:22:21.640 Without getting to a place where we
00:22:24.560 realize we need God.
00:22:27.040 We can't depend on ourselves, but we
00:22:31.480 need a savior. We need Jesus.
00:22:33.800 So looking at John 21
00:22:35.880 there's this discourse this conversation
00:22:37.400 that Jesus has
00:22:38.640 with Peter.
00:22:41.080 And so this is after
00:22:42.920 Jesus rose from the dead. So at this
00:22:46.000 point on he's killed, he's crucified.
00:22:47.760 He's buried in the tomb, he rises from
00:22:50.080 the dead. Jesus resurrects and he's
00:22:51.720 being seen by the disciples. He's
00:22:53.320 showing up many different times,
00:22:56.120 different places, talking to people. And
00:22:58.400 at one point Peter, he's already seen
00:23:01.240 post-resurrected Jesus, but he's I think
00:23:03.600 in frustration and maybe feeling some
00:23:05.440 guilt and some shame,
00:23:07.360 he goes, "I'm going fishing."
00:23:09.960 Now, many How many of you like fishing?
00:23:11.520 I mean, some of you like fishing. Okay,
00:23:14.120 some of you got to get together. Um
00:23:15.520 he didn't go fishing, I don't believe,
00:23:17.520 just cuz he likes fishing. It wasn't
00:23:20.200 recreation. I don't think he was hungry.
00:23:21.800 I think he was going back to the way he
00:23:24.600 used to live. He used to be a fisherman
00:23:26.920 before he followed Jesus. And at this
00:23:28.800 point of disappointment, maybe some
00:23:30.960 disillusionment, some Something inside
00:23:32.720 Peter made him go, "I'm going back to
00:23:35.400 fishing. I'm going back to my old ways."
00:23:36.680 For even if it was just for a little
00:23:39.000 bit, and there's nothing evil about
00:23:40.400 going fishing.
00:23:42.520 But I think for Peter, it was a lack
00:23:44.280 of faith. It was a It was a
00:23:47.120 backtracking, a backsliding to his old
00:23:48.640 way. And guess what? All the other
00:23:50.240 disciples, they said, "We're going to
00:23:52.400 come with you." So, not only did he
00:23:54.440 backslide, he took a whole bunch of
00:23:56.320 people with him. All these guys went
00:23:58.040 back to fishing. It says they fished all
00:24:00.880 night, and they caught no fish. Then
00:24:02.360 this guy shows up on the shore, and he
00:24:04.160 says, "Hey, throw the net on the other
00:24:06.120 side of the boat." As if the fish can
00:24:07.760 only sl- you know, they can only go on
00:24:08.880 one side. They don't go on the other
00:24:10.880 side. The fish know better. But this guy
00:24:12.360 they're like, "Okay, we'll just try
00:24:13.760 it." They throw the net on the other
00:24:16.160 side, and they catch 153
00:24:19.240 large fish, according to John 21.
00:24:21.920 In that moment, Peter recognizes that
00:24:24.000 was Jesus who called out from the shore.
00:24:25.640 He says he puts on his outer garment. He
00:24:27.840 jumps in the water and swims. They were
00:24:30.360 almost 100 yd out from the shore. He
00:24:33.880 swims to Jesus, and Jesus has this fish
00:24:36.400 fry going on the beach. Now, I
00:24:37.720 usually don't eat fish for breakfast,
00:24:39.800 but this guy he Jesus had a fish
00:24:42.720 breakfast uh for Peter prepared for him.
00:24:45.000 It says they ate breakfast.
00:24:46.560 And it was interesting the two mentions
00:24:48.800 of charcoal fire in the Bible are the
00:24:50.920 first time when Peter's warming himself
00:24:52.960 by a charcoal fire, right when he denies
00:24:55.960 Jesus, and at this point. It when Jesus
00:24:58.080 has a charcoal fire he's cooking fish
00:24:59.000 on.
00:25:00.640 It says, "This was the third time, verse
00:25:01.840 14,
00:25:04.320 Jesus had appeared to his disciples
00:25:06.760 since he had been raised from the dead."
00:25:08.800 After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon
00:25:11.280 Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love
00:25:14.640 me more than these?" Now, it doesn't say
00:25:17.640 what the these are. He has fish frying
00:25:19.480 there, there's disciples around. He
00:25:21.000 could have been saying, "Simon, do you
00:25:23.040 love me more than these fish? Do you
00:25:25.200 love me more than the 153 fish I just
00:25:26.920 put into your net? Do you love me more
00:25:28.920 than all the disciples? Do you love me
00:25:30.800 more than anything else that you can
00:25:33.080 have in your life?" And no matter what
00:25:35.440 the these are, whatever he was talking
00:25:37.080 about, the answer should always be the
00:25:40.360 same. "Yes, Lord." To each and every one
00:25:42.840 of us, I believe that same response is
00:25:44.920 our should be our response. When Jesus
00:25:46.200 says, "Do you love me more than your
00:25:48.040 family? Do you love me more than your
00:25:50.200 career? Do you love me more than all the
00:25:52.240 stuff that you have in this world? Do
00:25:54.480 you love me more than these?" And our
00:25:56.560 answer should be what Peter said, "Yes,
00:25:59.440 Lord, you know I love you."
00:26:02.440 Jesus said, "Then feed my lambs."
00:26:04.920 But Jesus repeats the question. Says,
00:26:08.320 "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
00:26:10.200 "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I
00:26:12.680 love you." "Then take care of my sheep,"
00:26:16.320 Jesus said. A third time he asked him,
00:26:19.080 "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
00:26:21.280 Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the
00:26:23.600 question a third time. He said, "Lord,
00:26:25.840 you know everything. You know that I
00:26:28.400 love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my
00:26:31.600 sheep." Now, we read this in English and
00:26:33.400 there's one word for love that we use
00:26:35.200 for everything in English, right? We
00:26:37.200 love our wife like we love God, like we
00:26:39.280 love food, like we love sports, and we
00:26:41.360 use the same English word love to
00:26:43.600 explain so many different things. But in
00:26:45.000 the Greek language and many other
00:26:46.840 languages, there are several different
00:26:48.760 words for the word love because there's
00:26:51.000 so much more depth to that word, to that
00:26:52.120 meaning.
00:26:54.560 The first Jesus asked Peter, "Do you
00:26:57.200 love me?" he used the word agape, which
00:26:59.520 is an unconditional love like God loves
00:27:02.040 us. He's saying, "Peter, do you love me
00:27:04.120 more than anything? Do you love me with
00:27:05.760 your whole heart? Do you love me
00:27:08.240 unconditionally?" And Peter responded,
00:27:11.560 "Yes, Lord, I love you like a brother.
00:27:13.560 I love you like a friend."
00:27:15.800 Now, how many of you tell your spouse,
00:27:17.120 when they say, "Do you love me?" and you
00:27:18.920 say, "Yeah, like a friend. Like a
00:27:21.280 brother. Like a sister." You'd be like,
00:27:22.880 "What?" Right? There'd be some
00:27:24.280 conversation We have some counseling
00:27:26.520 meetings after this. But
00:27:28.240 But Peter, he's like, "I love you like a
00:27:29.640 brother."
00:27:31.800 And Jesus two times said, "Do you love
00:27:33.640 me? Agape love me?" He says, "Yes, Lord,
00:27:35.480 I love you phileo love you. I love you
00:27:37.480 like a brother." So, the third time
00:27:39.800 Jesus asked Peter, he switches it and
00:27:42.000 says, "Okay, Peter, do you love me like
00:27:43.480 a brother?"
00:27:45.440 And that cut so deep
00:27:48.360 to Peter's heart. Because he knew
00:27:49.840 that he switched the words. He knew what
00:27:52.040 he was really asking him.
00:27:54.200 He's He's Jesus was asking Peter, "Do
00:27:55.800 you really love me with your whole
00:27:58.920 being? Am I your everything?"
00:28:01.000 And what he was doing was restoring I
00:28:03.520 believe Peter denied Jesus three times.
00:28:05.240 He asked Peter three times to
00:28:08.000 re-confess, re-confirm, "Yes, Jesus, I
00:28:10.600 love you. I love you. I love you. I love
00:28:12.560 you." He said three times because he
00:28:15.040 wanted to redeem Peter. He wanted to
00:28:17.600 restore Peter.
00:28:19.800 And many times Jesus will touch an area
00:28:22.080 of our life that hurts. He's not doing
00:28:24.000 it to cause pain. He's doing it to
00:28:27.000 restore. He's doing it to heal. But many
00:28:29.200 times when you have a wound, it hurts to
00:28:31.200 get that wound cleaned. It hurts for the
00:28:34.120 healing process. God wants to heal you.
00:28:36.600 God wants to restore your life. And if
00:28:38.640 somebody's hurt you or some pain you've
00:28:40.800 experienced, I believe God's pushing on
00:28:43.280 it to bring healing to it, not to cause
00:28:45.080 harm to you.
00:28:47.600 He wants to do the same for you that he
00:28:50.120 did for Peter, restoring his identity,
00:28:52.840 restoring his purpose.
00:28:55.640 Because of the resurrection, Jesus Peter
00:28:58.120 was able to be restored. Because this is
00:28:59.960 post-resurrection, Jesus is able to
00:29:03.080 redeem, restore, and reconcile that
00:29:05.080 right relationship with Peter once
00:29:06.680 again.
00:29:08.760 In verse 19 at the
00:29:11.560 top of the story, Jesus tells
00:29:13.200 Peter, he asked him to do something. He
00:29:15.400 gives him a command. He says two words,
00:29:17.880 "Follow me."
00:29:20.360 "Follow me."
00:29:22.320 "Follow me."
00:29:23.840 It all comes down to this. Like, what
00:29:25.720 are we going to do? Don't worry about
00:29:26.960 what everyone else is going to do. Don't
00:29:28.120 worry about the people sitting in your
00:29:29.560 row. Don't worry about the people who
00:29:32.040 didn't show up today. What are you going
00:29:33.880 to do today?
00:29:36.200 That each and every one of us have the
00:29:38.520 personal ability to make our decision of
00:29:42.240 faith. Are we going to follow Jesus?
00:29:44.920 The one who predicted his death, burial,
00:29:46.760 and resurrection. The one who overcame
00:29:49.440 sin and death. Are we going to follow
00:29:50.640 him?
00:29:52.120 Are we going to follow something else of
00:29:56.040 this world?
00:29:57.360 See what
00:29:59.440 you might not know is Jesus actually
00:30:01.440 recreated this environment, this
00:30:05.040 circumstance, when he first met Peter.
00:30:08.160 In Luke chapter 5, when Jesus encounters
00:30:10.360 Peter for the first time, it's very
00:30:12.080 similar. Peter's out fishing all night
00:30:13.800 with all of his guys, and they catch
00:30:15.040 nothing.
00:30:16.720 He shouts from the shore, "Throw your
00:30:19.440 net to the other side." And they caught
00:30:21.760 so many fish, they needed help to bring
00:30:24.080 all the fish to shore.
00:30:26.280 He recreated the same scenario when he
00:30:29.000 was calling Peter to come back to him.
00:30:30.120 That's why I believe as soon as they
00:30:31.800 caught all the fish, Peter something
00:30:33.880 clicked in Peter from 3 years prior. He
00:30:37.720 said, "That's Jesus. That's Jesus."
00:30:40.520 And Peter, when Jesus first met him,
00:30:42.280 and Peter gets out of the water, out of
00:30:44.480 the boat, he falls on his knees before
00:30:45.920 Jesus.
00:30:48.120 And he says, "Oh Lord, please leave me.
00:30:51.320 I'm such a sinful man."
00:30:54.080 Peter was so aware of his sin, of his
00:30:56.400 wretchedness, of his humanity when he
00:30:59.960 first encountered Jesus.
00:31:02.600 Jesus replied to Simon. He said, "Don't
00:31:05.560 Simon Peter, don't be afraid. From now
00:31:08.880 on you'll be fishing for people."
00:31:10.520 And as soon as they landed, they left
00:31:13.520 everything and followed Jesus.
00:31:15.720 The very first time that Jesus called
00:31:16.920 Peter,
00:31:18.960 he confessed his sin.
00:31:20.840 He said, "Jesus, no, I can't follow you.
00:31:23.040 I You can't use me. I'm untrained. I'm
00:31:25.040 uneducated. I'm I'm a sinful man. I'm a
00:31:27.440 cussing fisherman. How could you
00:31:29.440 possibly use me?"
00:31:31.680 But Jesus said, "Follow me.
00:31:33.640 Don't worry about Don't be afraid." He
00:31:36.880 had fear to step into the unknown. He
00:31:38.800 was comfortable staying in the boat. He
00:31:41.760 was comfortable staying as a fisherman.
00:31:44.760 I was very comfortable flipping houses,
00:31:46.320 but I believe God's called me to reach
00:31:48.200 people because those houses are going to
00:31:50.080 fall down someday, but people's lives
00:31:52.520 last for eternity. And yes, it's scary
00:31:53.920 to step into ministry. Now, I'm not
00:31:55.360 saying that all you're going to step
00:31:57.320 into being pastors or leaders of the
00:31:59.280 church, but you are called to do
00:32:01.760 ministry. You are called to do work to
00:32:04.160 help people, to cry out to people, "Come
00:32:07.040 back to God." The ministry of
00:32:09.200 reconciliation is for every single one
00:32:10.240 of us.
00:32:12.880 To help people meet Jesus, to help
00:32:14.800 people know that God loves them, God
00:32:16.800 cares for them, God wants what's best
00:32:18.800 for them. That's for every single one of
00:32:19.800 us.
00:32:22.560 But it starts with us simply responding
00:32:24.480 to those two words,
00:32:26.520 "Follow me."
00:32:30.120 Follow me. Not Eric, not Freedom Church,
00:32:32.960 will you follow Jesus?
00:32:35.360 So, I'm going to ask you to respond.
00:32:36.560 And how we're going to do this is I
00:32:37.400 don't want you to go through the
00:32:39.440 motions. I don't want you to just pray
00:32:40.840 play pretend. Don't worry about what
00:32:42.640 anybody else is doing.
00:32:45.440 I'm inviting you in this moment, if you
00:32:48.920 will respond to Jesus' words to follow
00:32:50.000 him,
00:32:52.000 I want you to stand to your feet right
00:32:56.400 now.
00:32:57.640 You're simply saying, "I want to follow
00:32:59.240 Jesus."
00:33:00.240 And I want to pray for you. I want to
00:33:02.520 pray for each and every one of us.
00:33:05.200 I invite you to repeat a prayer after
00:33:06.520 me. And basically, I'm going to pray, "I
00:33:08.680 have sinned. I've fallen short. God, I
00:33:10.720 know you died for my sins. You rose from
00:33:12.480 the dead. And from this point forward,
00:33:14.200 Jesus, my life is not my own. I want to
00:33:15.920 follow you." I'm going to pray something
00:33:17.120 along those lines, so you know what's
00:33:19.400 coming. I just invite you if that's
00:33:22.280 real for you, you want to follow Jesus.
00:33:24.120 I invite every single one of us to pray.
00:33:26.000 And anyone watching online, listening
00:33:28.000 online, you can pray this prayer right
00:33:31.280 along with us. Heavenly Father,
00:33:33.920 I know that I've sinned.
00:33:35.600 I know that I've done things displeasing
00:33:38.160 to you.
00:33:40.920 I repent of my sin.
00:33:44.920 I no longer want to live for myself.
00:33:48.080 But I believe you, Jesus,
00:33:51.000 died for my sins.
00:33:55.320 You were buried and rose back to life.
00:33:58.880 And I surrender my life to you.
00:34:01.800 I say, "Yes, Lord.
00:34:04.000 And I follow you
00:34:06.560 from this day forward
00:34:08.879 in Jesus' name.
00:34:11.000 Amen. Amen. Can we give a great big
00:34:13.120 shout of praise?
00:34:15.800 He is risen. Amen.
00:34:18.399 Well, you can be seated. And if you made
00:34:20.560 that decision for the very first time,
00:34:22.040 or you know you need to recommit your
00:34:23.918 life to Jesus, we want to help you
00:34:26.639 follow up know your next steps so that
00:34:28.320 you can follow Jesus. It's not just a
00:34:31.040 one-time thing. It's a lifelong process.
00:34:32.159 And we want to help you do that. So, one
00:34:33.199 of the best ways you can do that is
00:34:34.879 using your phone, hold it to the tap
00:34:36.719 card on the seat back in front of you.
00:34:38.159 There's a place to say I surrender my
00:34:39.960 life to Jesus. Fill out that
00:34:41.560 information. We'll be able to follow up
00:34:42.800 with you. You can fill out the
00:34:44.320 connection cards. There's paper ones on
00:34:46.440 some of the seats around you. This is so
00:34:48.879 important that we want to help you take
00:34:50.719 your next step with Jesus. And you'll
00:34:51.879 hear us a little bit more in a few
00:34:53.520 minutes. Um but before we do, we're
00:34:55.360 going to switch gears and watch a video.
00:34:57.120 We filmed this video
00:34:58.560 because we're going to receive a
00:35:01.080 missions offering today. Uh you know,
00:35:03.760 we're 6 weeks This is our 6th Sunday of
00:35:06.160 services at Freedom Church, and we could
00:35:08.000 use resources to build up our church,
00:35:09.800 and we still need that. However, we go
00:35:11.680 We want to be a generous church. One of
00:35:12.600 our mission part of our mission
00:35:15.400 statement is we're a life-giving church.
00:35:17.000 To life be life-giving, you must be a
00:35:18.760 giving church. You must be a generous
00:35:20.640 church. So, we're actually receiving a
00:35:22.880 missions offering today to go to the
00:35:25.480 Network of Life. It's a regional uh
00:35:27.720 organization. They have Women's Choice
00:35:30.360 Network centers or clinics to help women
00:35:32.640 specifically with free ultrasounds, STD
00:35:34.760 testings, and so many other things. Not
00:35:37.200 just the to help save babies, but we're
00:35:39.240 They're saving moms. They're saving men.
00:35:41.280 They're saving families as well. So, we
00:35:43.080 have a video. It's about 5 minutes long
00:35:44.960 from Mary, our very own Freedom Youth
00:35:46.800 Leader. Uh she We're going to take a
00:35:47.840 look at that, and then I'll give you
00:35:56.040 some more direction.
00:35:58.000 Hi, I'm Mary.
00:36:00.240 Everyday, we meet people in moments that
00:36:01.840 change everything.
00:36:04.320 Unexpected pregnancies, fear,
00:36:06.960 uncertainty, and a lot of questions
00:36:09.480 about what comes next. But in those
00:36:12.800 moments, something powerful can happen.
00:36:15.240 At our medical clinics, moms and dads
00:36:17.960 find a place where they're seen, heard,
00:36:20.560 and supported without pressure, without
00:36:23.240 judgment, just real care.
00:36:24.880 We offer important services like
00:36:27.760 ultrasounds, pregnancy support, STD
00:36:29.920 testing and treatment, and abortion pill
00:36:32.360 reversal for anyone who has started the
00:36:34.400 abortion pill, is having second
00:36:36.400 thoughts, and wants to continue their
00:36:37.960 pregnancy.
00:36:39.800 All of these services are offered
00:36:42.560 entirely at no cost.
00:36:44.480 What really makes a difference though,
00:36:47.720 is what happens after that first visit.
00:36:50.000 Because when a mom or dad chooses life,
00:36:52.160 that's not the end of the story. It's
00:36:54.040 just the beginning.
00:36:56.040 I want to share a story about a woman
00:36:58.560 who came into our clinic recently. She's
00:37:01.240 one of hundreds we see each year, many
00:37:04.440 facing the same fears and questions.
00:37:06.800 When she first called, she was looking
00:37:09.760 for one thing, an abortion.
00:37:11.560 Our staff gently shared about our free
00:37:13.520 services and encouraged her to come in
00:37:15.240 for an ultrasound.
00:37:17.400 For a moment, she hesitated.
00:37:19.360 Her sister took the phone and asked if
00:37:20.800 they should just go elsewhere and
00:37:23.240 schedule an abortion instead.
00:37:25.720 Calmly, our staff explained why starting
00:37:27.960 with us matters, and they agreed to come
00:37:29.240 in.
00:37:31.760 At her first visit, she opened up.
00:37:33.880 She didn't really want an abortion.
00:37:35.560 She's just scared.
00:37:37.200 The baby's father didn't want to be
00:37:39.720 involved, and she couldn't imagine doing
00:37:41.880 this on her own.
00:37:44.000 During the ultrasound, she was quiet,
00:37:45.840 but she watched closely as her baby
00:37:47.720 moved on the screen.
00:37:49.280 When she left, we didn't know what she
00:37:51.080 would decide.
00:37:52.640 Her sister encouraged her not to come
00:37:54.640 back, and said it would only make things
00:37:56.040 harder.
00:37:58.040 And for a moment, it felt like we might
00:38:00.120 not see her again.
00:38:02.200 Everywhere she turned, there were voices
00:38:04.320 telling her why she couldn't do this,
00:38:07.480 why abortion was her best option.
00:38:08.840 And that's what she was looking for when
00:38:10.640 she first called.
00:38:12.840 But even in the middle of that, there
00:38:14.080 was hope.
00:38:15.560 So, we prayed.
00:38:17.160 When we followed up, she shared that she
00:38:19.960 had decided to continue her pregnancy.
00:38:22.360 She came back for another ultrasound,
00:38:24.720 and this time everything felt different.
00:38:26.720 She smiled as she watched her baby
00:38:28.560 moving on the screen.
00:38:30.520 From that point on, we had the privilege
00:38:32.400 of walking alongside her throughout her
00:38:35.440 entire pregnancy and beyond.
00:38:37.320 As she began classes, she brought a
00:38:39.200 friend with her who later became her
00:38:40.400 boyfriend.
00:38:43.040 Together, they prepared for delivery.
00:38:44.920 Together, they learned how to care for
00:38:47.480 her baby. And with every visit, you
00:38:50.080 could see their confidence and their joy
00:38:51.240 growing.
00:38:52.920 At her most recent visit, she was
00:38:54.840 holding her baby in her arms. She
00:38:57.400 couldn't stop smiling. She told us she
00:39:00.560 can't imagine life without her daughter.
00:39:01.960 It's hard not to think about how
00:39:04.480 differently her story could have ended.
00:39:07.480 She came to us scared and alone and
00:39:09.840 unsure of what to do next.
00:39:11.800 But she didn't walk through it alone.
00:39:14.240 Her new partner stepped in. He showed
00:39:16.240 up. He chose to be there.
00:39:18.360 She wasn't alone in our classes. She
00:39:20.680 wasn't alone in the delivery room. And
00:39:22.600 she hasn't been alone since her daughter
00:39:24.160 was born.
00:39:26.920 Not every story unfolds the same way.
00:39:28.480 But when a parent who once felt
00:39:31.200 uncertain is now holding their baby, we
00:39:34.360 hear those same words again and again.
00:39:37.360 I just can't imagine life without them.
00:39:39.160 Through our wellness journey classes,
00:39:40.880 families learn what to expect during
00:39:43.440 pregnancy, how to prepare for delivery,
00:39:45.120 and how to confidently step into
00:39:46.440 parenthood.
00:39:48.120 We walk with them through those early
00:39:50.160 years, preparing them for the sleepless
00:39:52.040 nights, the big milestones, and
00:39:53.920 everything in between.
00:39:55.760 Because raising a child takes more than
00:39:58.000 just a moment of courage. It takes a
00:39:59.560 community.
00:40:01.200 Over the years, we've seen more than
00:40:05.000 8,500 babies given a chance at life and
00:40:07.200 thousands of families find hope they
00:40:09.360 didn't think was possible.
00:40:11.840 Right now, the need is growing. More
00:40:14.200 moms and dads are searching for truth,
00:40:16.200 for direction, for someone to remind
00:40:18.280 them that they're not alone.
00:40:20.080 And that's where you come in.
00:40:21.800 When you give, you're not just making a
00:40:24.320 donation. You're making a moment
00:40:25.720 possible.
00:40:29.120 A $125 can give a mom her first look at
00:40:31.400 her baby through an ultrasound.
00:40:34.720 $1,500 can walk alongside a family from
00:40:36.720 that first visit all the way through
00:40:39.320 pregnancy and beyond. No matter the
00:40:41.480 amount, your generosity creates real
00:40:44.400 impact for most families right when they
00:40:45.960 need it most.
00:40:48.840 So, thank you for caring, for showing
00:40:50.800 up, and for being a part of something
00:40:51.800 bigger.
00:40:53.440 Together, we're building a network of
00:41:01.000 life one family at a time.
00:41:03.400 Amen. We can give God a hand for Network
00:41:07.000 of Life.
00:41:09.280 So, as Mary mentioned in that video, you
00:41:11.600 know, $125 makes such a difference for
00:41:14.240 moms when they can see that it's a baby.
00:41:16.040 It's not a clump of cells, it's not just
00:41:18.160 a fetus, it's a it's a baby with a
00:41:20.080 heartbeat, with fingers, with a living
00:41:21.680 breathing child that's inside of them.
00:41:23.520 And Network of Life, I'm on the
00:41:24.920 board of directors of the Network of
00:41:26.440 Life, completely unpaid, it's a
00:41:29.000 volunteer role. I love being a part of
00:41:30.800 what they're doing, not just saving
00:41:33.840 babies, but helping moms, saving moms
00:41:35.680 and helping dads know how to be dads,
00:41:38.120 helping the family. And it's not just
00:41:40.200 get them to save choose life, but
00:41:41.760 there's that wellness journey that's
00:41:43.400 helping moms all the way through. I
00:41:45.280 actually got to sit in with some couples
00:41:47.120 and share my heart with these young
00:41:49.360 couples about how beautiful it is to
00:41:51.560 have a child, to raise a child together.
00:41:53.760 And you know, I heard some babies
00:41:55.000 crying today, and I just want to say to
00:41:57.840 every mom here especially, let your kids
00:41:59.760 come to church. We want kids to be in
00:42:02.720 church. We want babies to be in church.
00:42:04.400 Don't ever feel embarrassed. Don't ever
00:42:06.560 feel like it's a problem. Please be
00:42:08.760 here. Don't ever let that stop you from
00:42:10.720 bringing your kids to church. And if
00:42:12.440 anybody complains, send them to me. I'll
00:42:14.200 I'll set them straight. But anyways,
00:42:14.920 um
00:42:17.280 we love families, we love kids, we want
00:42:19.560 to support them. So, all the money that
00:42:21.280 we're going to receive today, anything
00:42:23.040 that's not designated, like I know some
00:42:24.800 of you give regular ties and offerings,
00:42:26.680 that's that's okay, but this anything
00:42:29.280 extra you give, please mark missions.
00:42:30.480 So, if you write a check, you want to
00:42:31.800 write a check for you write it to
00:42:34.000 Freedom Church, put missions. We're
00:42:35.560 going to combine all the
00:42:36.880 donations, all the money, we're going to
00:42:38.880 send them a check to the Network of
00:42:42.040 Life. Online, same thing, mark missions.
00:42:43.840 On tap card, text to give, all the
00:42:45.680 different ways you can give. If you give
00:42:48.000 through Zelle, you can put in the memo,
00:42:49.520 uh put missions on there. If you write
00:42:51.480 missions, anything marked missions will
00:42:53.360 go to Network of Life. There's only one
00:42:55.160 missions fund that we have right now, so
00:42:56.960 all the money's going to go to them. Uh
00:42:58.760 also, the ushers going to be passing the
00:43:01.440 baskets after I pray. Any cash, maybe
00:43:02.800 you say, "I don't I didn't come prepared
00:43:04.800 with a check or anything." Any cash that
00:43:06.120 we're going to receive at this point,
00:43:07.640 we're not keeping any of it, we're
00:43:09.680 sending it all to the Network of Life to
00:43:12.000 see another 8,500 babies plus and
00:43:13.800 there's thousands of families get
00:43:15.600 impacted for Jesus. They are
00:43:17.920 Christ-centered organization. It's not
00:43:19.520 just humanitarian work, they're
00:43:21.200 Christ-centered. Their mission is to
00:43:22.880 reach people for Jesus. So, we have no
00:43:24.920 problem supporting them. We want to
00:43:26.760 encourage you to support them. So, I'm
00:43:27.920 going to pray and then the ushers are
00:43:29.080 going to come forward and they're going
00:43:31.240 to pass around the baskets to receive.
00:43:32.680 Heavenly Father,
00:43:34.080 God, we thank you that we can even call
00:43:35.880 you Father. God, that you've called us
00:43:38.200 sons and daughters of yours. That God,
00:43:40.280 you care so much about family. You care
00:43:42.680 about lives. You care about these babies
00:43:44.520 and the moms and the dads and God, I
00:43:47.160 pray that you'd use these resources. Use
00:43:49.440 these funds, God, to reach thousands of
00:43:51.600 more babies. God, so that more women can
00:43:53.480 choose life. God, that they would not
00:43:55.400 live with the regret of having an
00:43:57.480 abortion. God, we thank you for the work
00:43:59.160 of Network of Life. God, that they're
00:44:00.920 not just trying to save babies, but they
00:44:02.800 help moms. They resource them with
00:44:04.680 diapers and supplies and even
00:44:06.160 post-abortive of
00:44:08.200 God, we thank you for all of the work
00:44:09.840 that you are doing through the Network
00:44:11.440 of Life. God, I thank you for the
00:44:13.440 privilege that we get to be a part of
00:44:15.240 partnering with them, of resourcing
00:44:17.400 them, of helping them reach more
00:44:20.240 families for your name. In Jesus' name I
00:44:22.040 pray. Amen.
00:44:23.880 Ushers, you can pass those
00:44:26.200 baskets. Um I do want to mention if you
00:44:28.880 are new with us or you've never filled
00:44:30.840 out a connection card, these are the
00:44:33.240 cards on the seats around you. There's a
00:44:35.440 spot on the back for prayer request. We
00:44:37.760 would love to know in here how we can
00:44:39.840 pray for you. Anything going on in your
00:44:41.680 life, uh if we haven't got to connect
00:44:43.280 and talk, I would love to have you fill
00:44:45.080 out one of these cards. You can also do
00:44:46.240 that through the tap card on the
00:44:48.880 seatback in front of you. And if you
00:44:50.440 fill one of those out, you can get one
00:44:52.720 of these gift bags on your way out. And
00:44:53.880 I also want to say if you've never
00:44:55.680 received one of these, we want to put
00:44:56.880 one in your hand. So say you've been
00:44:58.520 coming for a few weeks and you never
00:45:00.680 grabbed a gift bag, they're on right on
00:45:02.240 the left side of the door on your way
00:45:04.320 out. Just stop and grab one. They're
00:45:05.720 going to give them away. Again, we want
00:45:07.360 to be generous. We just want put some
00:45:08.960 gifts in your hands. There's a magnet,
00:45:10.720 some pens. They're really good pens by
00:45:12.120 the way. So you want to grab one of
00:45:14.480 those if you didn't get one already.
00:45:17.400 Also, the next two Sundays after the
00:45:19.320 11:00 a.m. service, we have what we call
00:45:21.960 Next Steps. It's a time It's a class we
00:45:23.680 help you learn more about Freedom
00:45:25.440 Church. We have you take some gift
00:45:27.760 assessments and help you identify your
00:45:29.280 next step. For everyone who stood up
00:45:31.840 saying I want to follow Jesus, this is
00:45:34.400 your next step. Come back next week, be
00:45:36.400 involved, be a part of what God is doing
00:45:37.880 through Freedom Church and take your
00:45:38.880 next step and get to attend. You only
00:45:40.560 have to attend one of those classes,
00:45:42.800 next Sunday or the following Sunday.
00:45:45.360 Stay after. We also feed you. So we need
00:45:47.760 you to RSVP. So you got to scan that QR
00:45:50.160 code, go to our website, sign up to
00:45:52.240 attend one of our Next Steps so that we
00:45:53.640 know how much food to have for you and
00:45:55.640 how to best prepare for you. Also, in
00:45:57.560 just a few weeks we have uh water
00:45:59.800 baptisms coming up. Two weeks ago we
00:46:02.120 baptized nine people right here. We have
00:46:04.120 more people signing up wanting to get
00:46:06.000 water baptized. Yes, it's such a
00:46:08.160 celebration.
00:46:10.760 And if you maybe you were baptized as an
00:46:12.760 infant or a child, but if you've never
00:46:14.800 made the personal decision that you
00:46:16.320 would like to be baptized fully
00:46:18.200 submerged under the water, we want to
00:46:20.120 help you take that next step as an
00:46:21.920 outward sign of what Jesus is doing on
00:46:24.240 the inside of you. You can sign up if
00:46:25.520 you're not even sure if you're allowed
00:46:27.520 to get baptized, sign up because we'll
00:46:29.680 talk to you, we'll help you prepare for
00:46:31.520 that day as we celebrate people taking
00:46:33.800 their next step. Uh last but not least,
00:46:36.040 we have some Freedom Church merchandise.
00:46:38.200 It's been in the cafe since we launched.
00:46:40.280 There's some crew necks, some t-shirts.
00:46:41.280 I'm bringing it up because a lot of
00:46:43.040 people don't know that we have it,
00:46:45.080 but all of the proceeds, all the profit
00:46:47.040 from all of our merchandise is going to
00:46:49.320 the next generation for youth ministry
00:46:51.400 and kids ministry specifically, that
00:46:52.680 we're not trying to make any money off
00:46:54.080 the merch. We want you to have it. We
00:46:55.840 want you to represent, but really we're
00:46:57.280 trying to raise some more money for the
00:46:59.240 next generation so we can keep caring
00:47:00.960 for and helping the young people
00:47:03.200 especially know Jesus, find freedom,
00:47:04.600 discover their purpose, and make an
00:47:06.840 impact as well. So last but not least,
00:47:08.160 if you could stand to your feet, I'm
00:47:10.280 going to pray one more time and then
00:47:11.760 you'll be dismissed.
00:47:13.120 Heavenly Father, we thank you for this
00:47:14.960 day. God, we thank you for Resurrection
00:47:17.400 Sunday. God, that we can worship you a
00:47:19.440 living God. God, I pray for each and
00:47:21.800 every one of us today to remember and to
00:47:25.680 live out the reality that you are alive.
00:47:27.840 God, that that life that rose Jesus from
00:47:29.880 the dead, that same spirit would dwell
00:47:31.800 within us. God, that we would live our
00:47:34.800 lives fully alive, live our faith out
00:47:36.800 loud for others to see. God, I pray
00:47:39.760 you'd use us. Send us out today. God, I
00:47:41.720 pray for the conversations today around
00:47:43.960 the dinner table, around family, God, to
00:47:45.760 be all about you. God, that will bring
00:47:47.360 honor and glory to your name. God, I
00:47:48.880 pray for family members to give their
00:47:51.480 life to you today as a result of you
00:47:53.120 speaking through each and every one of
00:47:54.840 us. And God, that your kingdom would
00:47:56.640 grow, your church would get bigger. In
00:47:58.000 Jesus name I pray. Amen. Happy Easter.
00:48:00.000 See you guys next week.