Introduction:
What Does God Want Me to See and Know This Easter? (Ephesians 1:15-23)
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The HOPE THAT IS FOUND in Belonging to Christ. (Eph 1:18a)
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The UNENDING RICHES THAT ARE AVAILABLE in Christ. (Eph 1:18b)
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The RESURRECTION POWER of Christ. (Eph 1:19-20a)
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The SIMPLICITY OF SUBMITTING TO THE KINGSHIP of Christ. (Eph 1:20b-23)
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:00-00:05
Please turn your Bibles to where Sydney just read, Ephesians chapter one, verses 15 through 23.
00:06-00:10
Ephesians chapter one, verses 15 through 23.
00:12-00:16
You know, kids are so easily distracted, aren't they?
00:17-00:19
Their kids, their heads are often in the clouds.
00:20-00:22
They're not thinking about what they should be thinking about.
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They're not looking where they should be looking.
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They don't know important things that they need to know.
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I know this from first-hand experience with my own kids, Sam and Emmy.
00:33-00:40
Sam and Emmy are so easily distracted, and it can be so hard to get their attention.
00:41-00:47
Sometimes I physically have to put my hands on their faces to redirect their focus.
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Why do I do that?
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'Cause I want them to see something so that they will know something.
00:56-01:02
Sam makes a huge mess and he's not cleaning up despite my many pleas for him to clean it up.
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I have to gently put my hands on his face to redirect him to the disaster zone.
01:08-01:14
I want him to see the mess so he will know that he needs to clean up the mess.
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Emmy throws a temper tantrum about something completely unreasonable and she's not listening to reason.
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I lovingly put my hands on her face to redirect her focus to my eyes.
01:27-01:37
I want her to see the seriousness of my face so that she will know that she needs to say sorry, she needs to ask for forgiveness, and stop her pouting.
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My kids are so easily distracted, and they need parental reminders from their mom and dad.
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But if we're honest, we're not much better than kids, are we?
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You and I are easily distracted.
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You and I do not think about what we should be thinking about.
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You and I do not look where we should be looking.
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You and I do not know important things that we need to know.
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You and I need our Heavenly Father to lovingly grab a hold of our faces and redirect our focus.
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You and I need to see and know important truths that God wants us to see and know.
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You and I need to truly see Jesus Christ for who he is so that we can truly know him both now and forever.
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You and I need to truly see what is expected of us in this book so that we will know what responsibilities we need to carry out from day to day.
02:45-02:47
We're at the end of our latest series.
02:49-02:49
Respect the office.
02:50-02:53
Jesus' roles determine my responsibilities.
02:53-03:00
Last Sunday, we saw that Jesus is the ultimate prophet who perfectly represents and speaks for his Father.
03:01-03:10
When you truly see Jesus as prophet, you know that you must listen and believe whatever he says.
03:13-03:25
This past Good Friday, Pastor Jeff showed us that Jesus is our great high priest who laid down his own life, who shed his own blood as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross.
03:26-03:36
When you see Jesus as priest, you know that you must confess your sin, you must repent of your sin, you must ask for forgiveness of your sin.
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This morning we will see that Jesus Christ is the king of all, who is high above any ruler, any president, any CEO, any billionaire, and nothing and no one can compare to Jesus Christ.
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And when you see Jesus as King, you know that you must obey whatever he says.
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As is our custom at Harvest, please pray for me that I'll faithfully proclaim God's word, and I will pray for you that you will faithfully receive God's word.
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Father, we come to you, And we thank you for what this day represents.
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We thank you that because of your son, because of what he has done, we can have true hope.
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We can have true life.
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And if there are people in this room who do not have true life, may you seek and save the lost today.
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May you bring the dead to life.
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May you give faith where there previously was no faith.
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And for the rest of us, Lord, may we be comforted, may we be encouraged, may we be challenged and built up by your word.
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I thank you so much that you watch over your word to perform it.
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Your word never returns to you empty.
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It always accomplishes the purpose for which you sent it out.
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And Lord, I trust you and we trust you this morning.
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We ask that you would do a great and mighty work in all of our hearts.
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We ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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In the original Greek, the apostle Paul writes, one long run-on sentence in Ephesians chapter one, verses three through 14.
05:19-05:26
Have you ever listened to a family member or friend who breathlessly tells you a story, they're really, really excited, they just wanna get it out?
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That was me growing up, no one could understand any story I was telling growing up.
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That is the Apostle Paul in this passage.
05:33-05:40
He is so blown away by who Christ is and what he has done for the Ephesian church.
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He gives a huge list, they have been redeemed, they have been rescued, they have been adopted into the family of God.
05:48-05:54
They have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and on and on the list goes.
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In Ephesians chapter one, verse 15, Paul takes a deep breath, so he can go on for another run-on sentence.
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So let's read the beginning of Paul's second run-on sentence.
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In chapter one, verses 15 through 17.
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of Ephesians.
06:12-06:38
He says, "For this reason, because I have heard "of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love "towards all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks "for you, remembering you in my prayers, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, "the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom "and of revelation and the knowledge of him." Paul isn't indifferent to the Ephesian church.
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He isn't like, eh, whatever.
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He has a deep love for these people because he ministered in Ephesus for years.
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He personally led many of the Ephesians to Christ.
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And since the day he left Ephesus, he has been receiving reports about them.
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He's been checking in on them.
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He's been hearing about their deep faith in Christ and their love for one another.
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All that the Ephesians have been given in Christ and all they've been doing for Christ Paul to constantly give thanks and pray for them?
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What is he praying for?
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What is he asking for on their behalf?
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Well he tells us in verses 17 through 18 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation and the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know.
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Let's stop there for a minute.
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pick up the rest of Paul's thought very soon.
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What is Paul's prayer for the Ephesians?
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To see so that they will know.
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To see important truths with the eyes of their hearts so that they will know these truths in their hearts for the rest of their lives.
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The truths that Paul wants the Ephesians to see and know are the same exact truths that you need to see and know on April 5th, 2026.
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Some of you are here because you really wanna be here.
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You couldn't wait to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Others of you would rather be someplace else.
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You're really hoping, I won't talk for too long.
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You're really hoping that this service will be mercifully short so you can get back home, eat Easter lunch, hunt for some eggs, and pass out from a food comb on the couch.
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And if that's you, I want you to hear a loud and clear message from me.
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I am so glad that you're here.
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I have been praying for you all week long.
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I have been praying that you would see and know what God wants you to see and know.
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Whether you are excited or unenthused to be here, you need to ask yourself one question this morning.
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What does God want me to see and know this Easter?
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What does God want me to see and know this Easter?
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Number one, your outline, the hope that is found in belonging to Christ.
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The hope that is found in belonging to Christ.
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Let's return to Paul's thought that we left hanging a minute ago in verses 16 through 18.
09:27-09:45
He writes, "I do not cease to give thanks for you, "remembering you in my prayers, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, "the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom "and of revelation and the knowledge of him, "having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, "that you may know." What does he want them to see and know?
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What is the hope to which he has called you?
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Paul wants the Ephesians to see and know the hope that is found in belonging to Jesus.
09:59-10:02
Have you ever noticed that the hardest words to define are the simplest?
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We use words like hope every single day.
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But what does it actually mean?
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What is hope?
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There are actually two definitions for hope.
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There is the worldly definition and there is the biblical definition.
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There is the wrong definition and the right definition.
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And your personal definition depends upon your status relationship with Christ.
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If you do not love and follow Jesus, hope is only wishful thinking and nothing more.
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Hope is crossing your fingers and wishing for the best.
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Hope is knocking on wood and longing that nothing bad will happen to you.
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You have no basis for this hope beyond your desire for it.
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That kind of hope is no hope at all.
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In the next chapter of Ephesians, Paul says that until you trust in Christ for salvation, you are without hope and you are without God in the world.
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So that is the wrong and unbiblical definition of hope.
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Let's talk about the right and biblical definition of hope.
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According to God's word, hope is confident expectation in the character and plans of God.
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Hope is confident expectation in the character and plans of God.
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When you trust in Christ and belong to him, you have a confident expectation that every single one of your sins have been wiped away, have been paid for, that your past, present, and future offenses are no longer held against you.
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When you trust in Christ and belong to him, You have a confident expectation that God will keep every single promise in this book.
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When you trust in Christ and belong to him, you have a confident expectation that you are bound for heaven and not hell.
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These hopes aren't maybes or mightbes that you're unsure of.
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These are firm and fixed realities that cannot change.
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If you're a true born-again believer in Christ, You have no need for wishful thinking.
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You have no need for crossing your fingers.
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You have no need for knocking on wood.
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When you truly belong to Jesus Christ, you see that he is trustworthy, and you know that there is a 0% chance that he will fail you.
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What does God want me to see and know this Easter?
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Secondly, the unending riches that are available in Christ.
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the unending riches that are available in Christ.
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At the end of verse 18, Paul goes on to pray that the Ephesians would see and know what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
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If I were to ask you to come up with your net worth off the top of your head, would you be able to do it?
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Some of you uber savvy and prepared individuals exact number.
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This would also be really easy for you teenagers and college students because your net worth is practically zero.
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You own nothing really.
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Others of us would need to sit down and crunch the numbers.
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Subtract our debts, add our assets.
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Do you realize that all of your assets will belong to someone else?
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All of your stuff will be passed on.
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Maybe you've already thought about the family heirlooms, the keepsakes that you wanna pass down to your kids, your grandkids, your friends, your relatives.
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Maybe you've already been the beneficiary of a very small or a very big inheritance.
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You inherited a house and all that came with it.
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You inherited a decent chunk of money that you were not expecting.
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No matter what you've inherited in the past or what you plan to pass down to others in the future, these things pale in comparison to the inheritance that God gives to his children.
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I mean, think about it.
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What is God's net worth?
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It's limitless.
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It's incalculable.
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What does God own?
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You are the first service, so I'll give you some grace.
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Let's try that again.
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What does God own?
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So if you belong to him, what do you stand to gain?
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Everything.
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God isn't a cheapskate.
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If you're a born again believer in Christ, God doesn't put you on a weekly allowance plan that is based on your performance.
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God's not up in heaven thinking, "Well, I was gonna loosen the purse strings a bit more "and give Taylor more this week, "but he really let me down, he really failed me, "so too bad for him, maybe next week, if he behaves better." That is not how God operates at all.
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He is unbelievably generous towards you.
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He's unconditionally loving towards you.
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I know what some Christians in this room and watching online are thinking right now.
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Taylor, that sure sounds nice.
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But that's not my experience.
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You're saying that I have everything, but I feel like I have nothing.
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Life isn't going very well for me right now.
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I get that, and I felt that.
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You may feel like you have nothing.
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You may feel like you are running on empty.
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You may feel like you have nothing left to give.
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But I want you to see and know all that is available to you in Christ.
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In Christ, you have unlimited access to God the Father in prayer.
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You can come to him 24/7 to bring your request, your Thanksgiving just to talk to him.
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You've been given the very word of God.
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You can talk to God in prayer and God talks to you in his word.
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You've been filled with the Holy Spirit who leads, guides, and comforts you.
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You have a protective and older brother named Jesus who is constantly interceding for you in heaven.
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As a pastor, I hear so many people tell me, I just want more of God.
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I just want more of the Holy Spirit.
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I just want more from God.
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Listen, in Christ, you have been given everything that God has.
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You have been given all of him.
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God cannot give you more of himself because he's given you all of it.
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Do you really believe that?
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Do you really live like you believe that?
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No gift has been reserved.
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No blessing has been withheld.
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No grace has been kept back from you.
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Even if you are financially poor, you are spiritually rich.
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Even if you feel empty, you have been filled with the fullness of God.
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If the past 12 years, my wife and I have shared a joint bank account.
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And whenever we open that account, For some reason, PNC Bank put her name in bold letters on the top of the checks and me in smaller letters underneath of hers.
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I'm told that's not how it usually goes.
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Am I right?
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It's very emasculating.
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I think PNC laughs at me every time they print those checks for us.
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But here's the thing.
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My checks clear just as well as Kate's does.
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My card withdraws money out of our account just like Kate's card does.
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I have unlimited access to a bank account with my wife, but I also have unlimited access to an even greater account.
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I share the resources of someone even greater than my wife.
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I share the infinite riches of an infinite God.
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On our account, his name is huge and mine is teeny tiny small, but I still get to access those riches whenever I want to, whenever I need them.
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And the same is true for you if you've been adopted into the family of God.
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And the same can be true of you today if you let go of the unsatisfying garbage of this world to grab a hold of the infinitely satisfying treasures of heaven.
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God wants you to see and know the riches that are available to you in Christ.
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What does God want me to see and know this Easter?
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Thirdly, the resurrection power of Christ.
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The resurrection power of Christ.
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In verse 19, Paul prays the Ephesians would see and know what is the immeasurable greatness of his, God's power towards us who believe.
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Power.
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Power is such a foreign concept to so many people.
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Power is such a foreign concept to most people who fill churches Sunday after Sunday.
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Most Christians feel so powerless.
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They feel powerless to resist temptation so they give in without a fight.
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They feel powerless to serve the church so they sit on the sidelines.
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They feel powerless to share the gospel so they stay silent.
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They feel powerless to be the husbands and wives they've been called to be, so they settle for being passive rather than active.
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They feel powerless to be godly parents, so they make excuses.
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How about you?
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Do you feel powerless?
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If you feel powerless, you're not alone.
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I certainly feel that way.
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I certainly feel that way as a homeowner because I am not a handyman whatsoever.
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If there's something broken at your house, I wouldn't recommend calling me as your first, second, 20th, 100th option.
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When something breaks at my house, I mostly feel powerless to address it.
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Recently, the toilet paper roll holder ripped off our downstairs bathroom wall.
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I wasn't surprised, it's the bathroom my kids use the most and they're not gentle with the toilet paper.
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It's like they're on the Price is Right rolling down the toilet paper.
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I walked into the bathroom, I assessed the damage and I'll be honest with you, I felt an initial wave of powerlessness.
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And I thought, well, guess what's gonna be savages in keeping toilet paper on the bathroom sink from now on.
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But then I thought to myself, wait a minute, I own a drill.
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I own wall anchors.
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I have a teeny tiny screwdriver set that can be used as teeny tiny screw that locks this toilet paper holder into place.
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I realized that I already had all that I needed to fix this issue.
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And guess what?
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I did fix it.
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Thank you.
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The next time you come to my house, I'll show you the glories of the toilet paper holder.
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Whenever you feel that initial wave of powerlessness as a Christian, remember that you already have all that you need to face the issue in front of you.
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What you already have is far better than a cheap set of tools.
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You have the very power of the God of the universe.
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And Paul tells us in verses 19 through 20 what this power is truly capable of.
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He says that he wants the Ephesians to see and know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.
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The power of resurrection isn't just something that Jesus experienced and no one else will ever again.
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The power of resurrection is something that everyone who trusts in Christ experiences right now.
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It is something that you will experience for all of eternity if you've given your life over to him.
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Please catch this because this is truly life-changing.
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If you have trusted in Christ for salvation, that same power that brought him back from death and raised him from the grave 2,000 years ago resides within you.
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That same power raised you from spiritual death and gave you new life.
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That same power will enable you to share the gospel, not caring what anyone thinks about you, not worrying about what the response will be.
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That same power will inspire you to not believe the lies and discouragement of the enemy.
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That same power will motivate you to love your wife, respect your husband, serve your children.
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That same power will equip you to use your spiritual gifts in the life of the church.
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Yes, in and of yourself, you are powerless.
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In and of yourself, you cannot do anything of value for anyone, but in Christ, you have access to the death-defying, life-giving power the God of the universe.
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It is at your fingertips whenever you want it, whenever you need it.
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Do not insult the sacrifice and resurrection of your Savior by believing that he has left you unequipped for the responsibilities you've been given.
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At this point in the message, you may be thinking, wasn't this supposed to be about seeing and knowing Jesus as King?
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when is that part gonna come up?
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Well, I'm gonna take a page out of Pastor Jeff's preaching book.
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Everything I've said so far has been the introduction.
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Here's the actual sermon.
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Don't worry, it'll be short, it won't be long.
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Everything leading up to this has been the warmup.
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Here's the main event.
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What does God want me to see and know this Easter?
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Finally, the simplicity of submitting to the kingship of Christ.
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the simplicity of submitting to the kingship of Christ.
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When you hear the gospel story, it's usually concluded with the resurrection of Jesus.
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Usually goes like this.
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Jesus, God himself, took on flesh and came to this earth.
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He lived a perfect life.
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He had a three year long ministry filled with miracles and sermons.
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He was crucified in the tomb for three days, rose again, roll credits, the end.
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Is that actually the end of the gospel story?
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There is a major event that is missed, and that is the ascension of Christ, which is a fancy theological way of saying that Jesus went back to heaven.
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Paul wants the Ephesians as well as you and I to see and know the importance of the ascension.
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In verses 20 through 21, he says, the same power that raised Christ from the dead also seated him at the Father's right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.
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Through his crucifixion, Jesus is the Savior who destroys the power of death.
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Through his resurrection, Jesus is the victor who destroys the power of death.
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Through his ascension, Jesus is the king who defeats the power of those who challenge his rightful rule and authority.
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Yes, Satan and the forces of darkness seem to be winning right now, but I promise you they have lost already because they cannot compete with the one who sits on heaven's throne.
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Yes, people do and can resist the king right now, but one day, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
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You have two options.
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You can willingly bow the knee right now, or you can be forced to bow in eternity.
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You can joyfully proclaim that Jesus is your savior, your Lord in the present, or you can begrudgingly admit that you were wrong and he was right in the future.
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No matter what you say, no matter what you do, you cannot change the reality of this universe's political situation.
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Jesus Christ rules and reigns.
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But your position, your side of this political reality can change.
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Will you choose team pride?
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The captain of that team is Satan.
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Spoiler alert, that team is gonna lose big time.
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There is team submission, and the captain of that team is Jesus Christ himself, who wins every single game in an absolute shutout.
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What will you choose?
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Will you resist, or will you submit?
28:24-28:29
Let's wrap up by reading more about the kingship of Jesus in verses 22 through 23.
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Paul writes, "And he, God the Father, put all things under Christ's feet and gave him his head over all things of the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." Jesus Christ is the head, the ruler, the boss, the king of the church.
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He's in charge around here, not me, not Pastor Jeff, not Pastor Rich, not the elders, not you.
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Jesus Christ is head over the church.
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He is in charge of every true church across the face of this planet.
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And the church should be a living example of what it looks like to submit to the kingship of Jesus.
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The church should be on the front lines displaying the love of Christ.
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The church should show a watching world what it looks like to obey the word of God.
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How are most Christians doing at setting that example of submission in 2026?
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Not the best.
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Most professing Christians act like they know Jesus, but they live like they do not know Jesus.
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Many professing Christians seem to care more about their own personal opinions than the authoritative word of God.
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Most professing Christians seem to love themselves more than the lost, more than their fellow church members.
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Do you profess to know Jesus, but make Jesus look bad?
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Do you give others around you a totally inaccurate picture of what it looks like to submit to King Jesus?
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If your answer to those questions is yes, it's time for repentance, it's time to change course.
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Earlier I said that God can never give you more of himself and that's 100% true, but you can always give God more of yourself.
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God withholds nothing from you.
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What are you withholding from him?
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Is it your finances?
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Do you foolishly think that all the money in your account belongs to you when it actually belongs to God?
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Is it your time?
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You've been wasting the most precious gift you've been given, time, by spending it on yourself and no one else.
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Is it social media and entertainment?
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You're constantly consuming garbage, yet you act surprised that garbage comes out of your mouth?
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Is it your status and reputation?
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You care so much about what people think of you that you're willing to tear others down and lie your way to the top.
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Listen, care about nothing and no one more than Jesus.
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The Christian life is so simple.
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Do you want me to share the not so secret secret of the Christian life?
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Doesn't seem like you want it, no one said anything.
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Do you want the not so secret secret to the Christian life?
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All right, fine, I'll share it with you.
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Just do what Jesus says.
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Just do what Jesus says.
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Obey his word.
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Life is so much simpler when you submit to Jesus in every single way.
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It's so complex to figure out other masters to follow.
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It's so unsatisfying to be the boss of your own life 'cause if you are honest enough to admit it, you are clueless.
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You have no idea what you're doing.
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You have no idea what's going on.
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Yes, the Christian life is simple, but it's also challenging, isn't it?
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It is absolutely pride crushing to admit that you know nothing and Jesus knows everything.
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It's humbling to acknowledge that he is in control and you are not.
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It's difficult to follow Jesus, not cater to your own personal preferences.
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I have to tell you, you will feel miserable.
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You will feel directionless until you see and know that submitting to Jesus is the only way to lasting joy.
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The worship team can now make their way forward.
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Do you see and know that Jesus is the ultimate prophet?
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He spoke the truth 2,000 years ago and he still speaks the truth to this day.
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Do you see and know that Jesus is the high priest?
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He laid down his own life, he shed his own blood on the cross to wash away your many sins.
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Do you see and know that Jesus is the king of all?
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He resurrected from the grave, he ascended to heaven where he sits at the Father's right hand, where he rules and reigns right now.
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This position of prominence proves that He is God and you are not.
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This position of prominence proves that He is a rightful claim over your life and you have none.
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If your heart is still unyielded to Christ, if your knee is still unbowed, what are you waiting for?
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There is no better time to obey Jesus' command to believe in Him than this very moment.
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There is no better opportunity to trust in Jesus for salvation than right now.
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There is no better day than Easter Sunday to draw your line in the sand and say, today is the day when I gave my life to Jesus.
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Today is the day when everything changed for me.
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If you turn from your sin and you place your faith in Jesus, the old you will die.
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never to be seen or heard from again.
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A new you will rise from the grave with Christ, and one day you will live with Christ forever and ever.
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That is the ultimate truth that God wants you to see and know this Easter.
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Let's pray.
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Father, this amazing news often seems too good to be true.
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How could a holy, perfect, all-powerful God care about weak people like us?
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People who have rebelled against you, who've wanted nothing to do with you.
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Lord, instead of just turning your back on us, instead of just consigning all of us to hell forever, You sent your one and only Son to become one of us, to live the perfect life we could never live, to die the death that we deserved to die.
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Lord, let this news never become old to us.
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May it never become normal.
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May it always blow us away.
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And Lord, I do lift up those of us in this room who are still resisting, who are still doubting.
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God, I can't change anyone, but you can.
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I know you can save.
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I know you can bring the dead to life.
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Lord, I ask you would do that this very moment.
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Lord, we thank you for who you are.
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We thank you for what you've done, and we thank you for all that you continue to do for us.
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We ask all this in Jesus' name, amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read Ephesians 1:15-23
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
What is the difference between worldly hope and biblical hope?
What are the riches and blessings that have been made available to you in Christ?
What does it mean that you share in the resurrection power of Jesus? How should this truth change how you live from one day to the next?
How are you failing to submit to the kingship of Christ right now?
Breakout
Pray for one another.