Elements City Church
We're so glad to have you here with us to celebrate Easter and remind ourselves again of the greatest event in history. The resurrection changed everything and holds out the promise that God can change anything. The EMPTY tomb provides us a way to now have a FULL life with God!
We pray that tonight would be encouraging for you. If you're a guest here with us, we want to INVITE you to our 10 Minute Party immediately following service. We'd love to meet you and we have a free gift just for you. Stay up to date with us via our app.
Empty is always associated with bad or not good in our context. In our culture there is so much emptiness -- things, experiences, and actions that promise contentment and fulfillment, but so often they leave an emptiness and void. So much of it seems to rob of us of life, but there is one expression of EMPTY, that promises us satisfaction AND DELIVERS. The empty tomb changed everything! It put on full display who God really is and what he’s really like! Provided us access to know him – an invitation to have life with God through faith in what Jesus accomplished!
On Easter Sunday something got released into the world that has yet to be eliminated. GOD’S HOPE and His Help in and through Jesus!
One of the unique aspects of Christianity in comparison to other faith movements is that it actually traces its origin to one particular event, in one moment, on one day in history. This is NOT true for Judaism or Buddhism or Islam, Atheism or any others.
THE RESURRECTION CHANGED EVERYTHING…
If you look at the impact of Jesus and his movement that stems from the Resurrection it is a vast understatement to say: he changed history!
Yale historian: Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan wrote:
“Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazereth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost 20 centuries. If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of the history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”
Matthew 16:13-17 NIV
Everyone has an opinion about Jesus. But Jesus is asking YOU to wrestle with ‘who do you say I am?’ = it is the ultimate question of life.
We must each grapple with: Who is this man?
Easter declares to us that God is now knowable & a relationship with him, possible.
Many struggle to believe that. They struggle with misconceptions of how we gain access to relationship with God? Is it even possible? Many feel there is a barricade that blocks them from God. Some believe there is a spiritual ladder they must climb in their effort to get to God. Others believe they've got too much garbage from their past and they are disqualified.
Easter and the empty tomb boldly proclaim a REAL reality about how we can now have a relationship with God.
It’s not in us searching out for God, it’s that Jesus has come & searches us out.
It’s not that we have to work our way to God, it’s that He has worked his way to us.
It’s not that we’re too broken or messy for Him, but that He came to help, to heal, and to renew us!
Revelation 3:20 NIV
Because of Easter:
Jesus stands at the door of every life
…if there is a 1000 steps of distance between humanity and God – between you and Him - he will take 999, but he leaves the last one up to us.
"God waits to be wanted." -A.W. Tozer
Jesus waits to be wanted. For some of you today, you need to stop ‘playing religious’ in your life and you need to open up your life and heart to Jesus. Say YES to him and allow him in to be the Savior and Leader of your life moving forward.
For others of you, you’ve let Jesus into your life – you’re a Christian, but there are inner doors of your life, where you’ve kept him shut out. You manage those areas – you’re still the overseer of your past hurts, your resources, your future dreams, your career, your family, your struggles… Jesus didn’t die on the cross for your sins, didn’t RISE again so he could ONLY be a manager of half of your life. HE CAME TO GIVE YOU LIFE AND LIFE TO THE FULL – so TRUST him with the whole thing; everything, every area!
Today, as you hear him knocking – open up your whole heart, your whole life and allow him full access to change, transform and recreate you to be who He Dreams you to be! His ways are better, friend.
NEED PRAYER?
....we've got some of our prayer team and pastors available following service to pray with you. You can also submit your prayer request via our app. We look forward to partnering with you in prayer.
IF YOU'RE NEW:
we throw a 10-minute party immediately following the service in the back corner of the room, if you're new, we'd love to meet you and welcome you! We invite you back next weekend as we begin a NEW series called IRRESISTIBLE FAITH and we're having an AFTER-PARTY with baptisms, food trucks, inflatable games and more!! April 28th immediately following service.