God bless you all, brothers and sisters, welcome to the house of the Lord. This is a special day, amen. Amen. This is a very special day, isn't it? Everyone knows what we celebrate on a day like today, what we celebrate all over the world, right? We are celebrating the day Christ rose again. The resurrection of Christ, brothers and sisters, is not just a historical fact. It's not just something that's found in some book. It's the foundation, the heart of the Gospel, and the heart of our faith. It's not just a story. Our faith would be nothing without the resurrection of Christ which we are celebrating today!

This has been a week of reflection where we remember each event: the cross, the betrayal, the suffering, the tears. But brothers and sisters, it didn't all end there. It didn't all end at the cross on Friday. That wasn't the last thing that happened. Something great happened on a day like today. On Sunday, the third day, Christ rose from the dead. As we celebrated on Friday, perhaps there was sadness and betrayal during the night. In the darkness, all those things happen—pain and tears—but in the morning, when there is light, everything changes. When the light comes, everything changes. And when the morning of that day came and the light entered, Christ rose again, and everything changed. Everything changed. Not only on that day, but everything changed in this world. And for us, everything has changed. Amen. Christ rose from the dead. And today we can say that you and I have the hope of life. But not just a life after this death—after the death that awaits us, after all that we will go through—but life here and now.

So today I want to share with you a little about what the resurrection does and about what the resurrection did on that day. I want us to go to Luke chapter 24, verse 1. Everything changed. Luke chapter 24. In all the Gospels, there are some different aspects of the resurrection and we can put them together to complete the story. But let's look here in Luke 24, verse 1. It goes on to say, “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women went to the tomb, carrying the aromatic spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering what happened, two men in dazzling clothes appeared beside them. The women, terrified, fell facedown to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised to life.”’ I like this passage because, while it's true the women were perhaps doing something that wasn't entirely right—and we'll see why in a moment—I like it because it says they were prepared, as the sister mentioned at the beginning. They were prepared; they were going to see the Lord. The others stayed at home, they were doing their own thing. But these women were prepared. And that's why they were the first to receive the message. They were prepared to receive the message of the resurrection.

"...if He said it, He will fulfill it."

I want to know if there's anyone here who is prepared to receive the message of the resurrection and if you have come prepared to the house of the Lord? It's time to shake off some of the sand that's still clinging to us. Shake that off and get ready to receive the power of the resurrection because it is still effective today. And do you know what happened with that? What happened? The resurrection is proof that God keeps His promises. Everything God said, everything Jesus said, He fulfilled. That means God doesn't lie. Let's look at verses 6 and 7 again. There the angels are telling him, “don't you remember what He told you while He was still with you in Galilee? The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day He will be resurrected.” Jesus said this on several occasions. And He said, “I'm telling them now so that when it happens, they will believe.” Believe that it's not something that happened by chance. All of God's promises are here in the Word. He already said it, and if He said it, He will fulfill it.

And Christ's resurrection guarantees that He will fulfill His Word. He’s going to do everything He said. But He has promised life for us. How many have heard that? He has promised a new life. So He will fulfill it. Amen. He will fulfill that. Now you tell me, church. I have heard since the eighties that I have to be in church and that He will give me a new life. And sometimes those things don't happen. Why is that? You know, there's an important element in this story. It’s when the angels tell the women that they are looking among the dead for the one who is alive. Because they seek life among death, where there is no life. You are looking for life where you won't find it.

Today the church, today humanity is looking for life in places where it cannot be found. Life is not found in religion. Life is not found in good times or traditions. As the women were saying at the beginning, it's very beautiful, it's nice, all those traditions, and those people prepare themselves and participate in them. But Christ is not in there. Christ is not in the traditions or in what our parents taught us or in religion. He is where there is life, and where there is life, Jesus told the Samaritan woman, "It is time for those who worship me to worship me in spirit and in truth, not in the flesh." In spirit and in truth is where the Lord is found. In the truth and where is truth found? In His Word.

"The Word must come to life in us."

Hebrews 4:12 says, "The Word of God is alive." The Word of God is alive; it is alive. So where do we find the Lord Jesus? Where do we find life? In the Word. In Christ. The Word became flesh and the Word became life. And that Word has come to life in us. The Word must come to life in us. And that is why He has come to tell us, church, that it is time to make the Word come alive. And how do we make it alive? By practicing it. Otherwise, it is just religion. We want to find God in places where He is not. Life is not in any of those things. And that is the difference between us and any religion in the world. That Christ rose again. That our God is alive. That our God is alive and therefore I must encounter Him. That is the difference. Why are many religions so large? Why are there so many people in other places? Why are the churches so full? Because it's easy, and apparently better, to go somewhere and see their God there and to show reverence, and then leave and continue on with their lives as if nothing happened. Because that God can't see, that God had to stay behind. But my God is alive. My God is where I am. My God has eyes and my God has ears. He sees us clearly. Bless God that He sees us and that He hears our cries. That He hears the cries of His people. And it is necessary for the church to encounter the living God. That is our main purpose: to encounter the risen Christ. Christ said, "I have come to seek and to save what was lost." And He did! Will He not then fulfill the other promises He has made?

The resurrection is the power that transforms lives! The resurrection is the power that transforms lives! Jesus did not rise just for Himself so that he can have a new life. He did it to give us a new life as well! Not a religious and boring life full of traditions which is what we have turned Christianity into. The Christian life and its traditions and moments and rituals and things like that—that is not the resurrection. The resurrection is a transformed life. That is the power of the Gospel. I want us to go quickly to Philippians chapter 3, verse 10, and all the verses here. Paul says, “I have lost everything in order to know Christ. To experience the power that was manifested in his resurrection. To participate in his suffering and become like him, in his death.” It's a passage where Paul is giving a bit of his testimony and he's telling us to remember what he was and remember what he did. He was a Pharisee. He worked in religion. And in his mind, he believed he was doing the right thing. He was persecuting Christians. And he, both he and his people, and his religion believed that was the right thing to do. But he says, one day something happened. He encountered the risen Christ. He had an encounter with the Lord Jesus. And suddenly, something changed. Something changed in his life. But he didn't just change his habits because Christianity isn't about changing habits. We're not a society like Alcoholics Anonymous. Those things are not bad. But the Gospel isn't for people to just change their habits. The Gospel has the power to transform people. Don’t just change your habit. Transform it. Transform your heart.

There are many people who only change their habits. Many people were eating and doing all sorts of things at Christmas, then on January 1st they said, "Let's go out and exercise." And they got up early and changed their habits. And other people stop drinking and give up vices and so many things, but only Christ can transform the heart. He alone can transform what's in the mind and change those thoughts that torture us, that heart that is full of bitterness and full of unforgiveness. That cannot be changed by changing habits—that is the power of the Gospel—a new life, a transformed life. Paul said that according to him, he was doing the best he could in his life. But in these passages he now says, “I consider it all garbage because I want to know Christ. I want to know Him more and experience that power that was there on the day of the resurrection." I want to experience that! The Word of the Lord says that everyone who comes to Christ is a new creation and that all things are made new. Everything is made new, amen. Everything is made new here and it starts on the inside and then goes to the outside. But you have to desire it. Paul is saying, I want to get rid of everything. I now consider everything outside to be garbage because I want to know Christ. I want to experience that power. I will turn and leave everything else because I want to experience that power. It's not a magic wand. No one can touch a person and cause them to be transformed. That's not how it works. This man left everything. He left everything and, thanks be to God, his eyes were opened.

But how were Paul's eyes opened? They were opened when he closed his eyes to the world. That's what the Bible tells us. When Christ appeared to him, it says that he went blind, right? He went blind and couldn't see. So, what did he have left? Only to cry out to God! What a blessing Paul had! Have you ever thought about that? What a blessing to have gone blind and no longer able to see the things of this world. Because when he was in total darkness, the only alternative he had was to cry out to God and ask Him, "Lord, open my eyes." And the Lord not only let him see, but He opened the eyes of his heart. At some point, that has to happen to us. That is the power of the resurrection, when the eyes of our hearts are opened. And what happens when the eyes of the heart are opened? Things change and we no longer see things the same way. What used to be good to us is no longer good. What I used to do and enjoy I suddenly don't anymore. And that's what sometimes happens in the heart that people can't explain. Why did I do this before? Why did I enjoy doing it before? And suddenly, I don't enjoy it anymore.

"Our eyes have been opened and now we can see the wonders of God!”

But it's not because the pastor or someone else is watching you. It's not because your brother is watching you, right? We are also neighbors in this church. Most people here aren't like those in other churches where they live far away from each other. Here, our neighbors are also the church members and they're always watching. But that’s not why we do it. Instead, it's because something in our heart has suddenly changed and we no longer feel comfortable doing the same things we used to do! We no longer feel comfortable saying the same things we used to say. We no longer feel comfortable listening to the same things we used to listen to because something has changed in us. Our eyes have been opened and now we can see the wonders of God! And now we can enjoy the wonders of God!

But there is a topic that makes people uncomfortable in churches aside from the topic of forgiveness. Do you know what it is? It’s joy! Why? Because it seems that joy is far from us. It seems far removed from the life of a Christian. However, His Word says that everyone who is in Christ is a new creation and the old things have passed away. He makes all things new. And that's why we sing, "You have turned my mourning into dancing." Of course He can do it, but it's difficult when my eyes are still seeing things out there. I have to say, "Lord, come in with that power. Close my eyes to the world and let me see what you want me to see." That's what happened to a lot of people. It says that when Christ rose from the dead, He appeared to some men who were on the road to Emmaus. It says that two disciples saw Jesus and were walking with Him but they didn't recognize Him. They were talking with Jesus and didn't know who He was until they had a special moment, an intimate moment with Him. And it says that He opened their eyes and their understanding was opened. And it says that they were leaving Jerusalem and already walking on the road when their understanding was opened. Their hearts were burning within them and they had to go back and tell everyone what had happened—they couldn't keep quiet. Jesus didn't tell them to go and preach, but that’s what was in their hearts and now they were going to tell everyone what had just happened! They had that moment of intimacy there with the Lord Jesus and their understanding was opened. In many passages of the Bible, it says that the disciples didn't understand what Jesus was saying until He rose from the dead. It says that their understanding was opened and then they understood the Scriptures.

Many people, many of us, spend years and years in church without understanding anything. But it's not about understanding the story or understanding the passages that makes the difference, but about it being revealed. It’s the mind that opens up to finally say, "Wow, I want to turn from this world." That's when the Word is revealed and not just understood. There are a lot of people on the outside who think they understand the verses and understand the Word. No, it’s only when Christ is revealed. That's when a person says, "I want to turn from this world. I want to leave my old life behind and I want the life of Christ. I want to rise with Him. I want this flesh to die. That's what I want!" It's not because they're forcing me at church to do it. It's not because they're telling me to do it there. It's what I want when I'm alone in my room. It’s what I want when I'm with my family at night and I'm praying. I pray, "Lord, I don't want this life anymore. I want your life, Father. I want you to have me, Lord. Open my eyes, fill me with Your life, Father." When Christ is revealed, when the Word is revealed, that is the power of the resurrection! Because before that, they may have understood the Bible passage, but it didn’t change them and they remained the same.

And I believe that the Lord is doing that in this time and in this season, amen. He is coming in to reveal His Word to us so that we can live it! Another passage also says that Mary Magdalene, in John chapter 20, was there and saw the empty tomb and she was weeping. Jesus appeared to her but she didn't recognize Him either. And she said to Him in anguish, "If you have taken Him away, tell me where He is.” But when Christ spoke to her, her eyes could not see Him. Her eyes could not recognize Him. Her eyes could only see what was around her. And what was around her? Imagine, she was in the middle of a cemetery. She was surrounded by graves. That's all that her natural eyes could see. She was next to an empty grave, but she didn't understand. She believed that Jesus' body had been stolen and it was the worst thing she could have been going through at that moment. But when she heard Christ's voice, she came back to life. From what Jesus says, we understand that she threw herself upon Him because at that moment her weeping turned to joy. Why? Because everything changed around her because she heard the voice of her beloved—the voice of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, things in our lives may or may not change, but whoever hears the voice of Christ can enter into that new life. The resurrection guarantees our victory over sin and death. Death, as we discussed on Friday for those who were here, is not only physical death, but all the consequences and all aspects of a spiritual death from the sin that overwhelms all of humanity. We see so much pain and suffering in this world because of sin. Death seemed to have won, but Christ rose again and took away that dominion of fear that it had over humanity. I want us to look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 55: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Not only because one day we will rise again. Yes, we will close our eyes and depart from this world, but also because of the victory over the dominion of death that existed and still exists over humanity. There is victory over that too. There is victory over sin. Man is no longer obligated to live in the same condition and to live the same life. Christ rose again so that we might have a new life. And what is that life like, brother? Well, death reigns here—death and its consequences, and sin. And even though we're in the church, things remain the same because death's dominion still reigns over humanity. But Christ has already defeated it and has given the church victory over it too. This victory belongs to all of those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

There's the famous verse that everyone knows and prays but they don’t quite understand it. In Romans chapter 10, it talks about being saved by confessing that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, that He is the Son of God, and that He was raised from the dead. Because if we don't believe in the resurrection, nothing we do makes sense. Nothing, absolutely nothing. That's why, while it's true that the departure of a loved one is handled differently in every religion, in our hearts there is hope, because death is only for a moment. We believe in the hope of the resurrection. We believe there is something different and that is our hope. That is the foundation of our faith because if Christ was raised from the grave, we too can be raised. But not only on the day we die, we can be raised here, today! The weight of death that oppresses our families and our lives and the church can be lifted up and even the consequence of sin and death in which we are still under. But I can tell you today that Christ has risen! There is power in the Word. There is power in the Gospel so that a man can come out of the state his heart is in and of what’s going on around him. The graves will still be there, but He says in the Word of God, that on the day Christ gave up his body there was an earthquake, and the tombs opened and more than 500 people came out of their graves. Many believers came out of the grave.

I pray to the Lord, my God, Father, if there are still graves, that they may open, Lord, that they may open, that you may enter into their life. The Lord didn't even pray for those people, for he defeated death, and death had to release those who were captives. That's why we sing that song, "When the Lord returns the captives." The captives aren't those out there; they’re us. The captives are often still in the churches. But through the power of Christ's resurrection we can be free from that captivity. It doesn't matter your condition or your situation. Christ performed many miracles and raised people from the dead during his ministry. And they were all in different situations. There were some who had just died like Jairus's daughter, and there were others like the widow's son who was being taken to his funeral and already in the coffin. And there was another one, Lazarus, who had already been dead for four days. He was already in the grave. What does that mean? The Bible says that there was a strong smell which meant that the body was already decomposing. So it wasn't just that he rose and stayed the same. Can you imagine that if he rose and everything stayed the same. But the Bible doesn't tell us that people removed the bandages and he was full of maggots. Can you imagine what he looked like? What must have happened there? He was regenerated! That miracle went beyond what we can understand. And what was that miracle like? It was the same as Mary's because Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus too. Not only did he come back to life, he was regenerated. He was regenerated in such a way that it didn’t scare people.

"But Christ makes all things new!"

Some of us come into the church like that with our arms already eaten away and full of worms. But Christ makes all things new! There may be a situation in your home or in your life where people might say, "That's not going to work; it won't come back—it's already dead." But Christ proved that He doesn't just heal the little things in your life. He also heals the things that are rotten. The things we cry and suffer over. He had compassion and said, "Come," He called Lazarus back to life! That's why it's so important to listen to the voice of God today. It's not just because someone is going to tell you, "It's already done." You have to listen to the voice of God and then you will also be able to see the miracles of the Lord. The Lord said, “Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, he will live.” In this world where death reigns, whoever believes in Christ comes to life. And that is the message of the Gospel: a new life. That's why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again." There are many people who truly need to be born again. They want to be born again. They want a new life. Not to be born into a rich family or in another country, but to have a new life in Christ.

The resurrection secures our inheritance. In 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3, it says, “Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Without the resurrection, nothing would have happened. We would only be speaking for the sake of speaking and we would have no hope. But Peter says we do have hope. And why? Because he saw Christ walking. It wasn’t something he imagined or something he was told. He saw Jesus nailed to the cross. He saw when He died. He saw when they buried Him and he saw when He rose again. He was with Jesus. That's why there is hope. That's why those men changed. It was like night and day. Peter, who fled in the night and denied Jesus and wasn't there with Him when He was dying—that same Peter later saw Jesus and the power of His resurrection. And from that moment on, Peter changed completely. When the Holy Spirit came upon him, he was the first to stand up and preach the Gospel about the power and the hope of life. He told the people, "I saw Him. Yes, I saw Him." Jesus promised us that He would die and rise again. And do you know what else He promised us? That He would come back for us. He didn't rise just for Himself. He promised that He would come back for me and make a dwelling place for me, and I believe Him. This is what empowers the Christian and keeps them firm despite everything—despite the storms and the difficulties and life's blows. It keeps them firm because they know that their Redeemer is coming back for them. They know that they have a hope that even if things don't get better, their heart longs for Him and their heart waits for Him.

Peter said he saw Jesus and Jesus told him that He was coming back. And he was going to tell everyone because Jesus told him to tell everyone, "He's coming back for us. Give your life to Him, believe in Him. He's coming back. He said He was going to die and rise again, and He did! And He's coming back for us too!" And that's the inheritance we have. That's an incredible inheritance! And look, let's continue in verse 4 where it says, "so that we may have a living hope and receive an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." You have an inheritance! You and I have an inheritance! Who would have thought? Here in Nueva Suyapa, we have an inheritance, but this is real, it's not just talk, it's a real inheritance. It is something that's been reserved for us. And what is an inheritance, brother? An inheritance is something you receive from another person that you haven't earned yourself. It's someone else's gain that they give to you that didn’t come from your own effort. That's an inheritance. That's God's mercy—because it wasn't me who went to the cross—it was Christ. And that's why we have an inheritance. And what is our inheritance like? The Bible says that it's indestructible. That it can't be destroyed.

We often hear of real-life examples of people who win the lottery or receive an inheritance, and, in a moment, it's all gone. Why? Because everything in this world comes to an end or the person gets sick. How many millionaires get sick, and with all the money in the world, they cannot add a minute of life to their body? But it says that our inheritance is indestructible. That it doesn't end. That it's uncontaminated and can't be stained or spoiled. Maybe someone here was left an inheritance—maybe it was Grandma's shoes—and it's not like they're going to last very long, and they eventually get ruined. But our inheritance is unfading. It can't be weakened. And what I love most is that it says it's reserved for us! Would you have thought you'd have something so special? Something that's kept especially for us. The Word of God says that He has a stone with each of our names written on it. None of this would have happened if the one who said he was going to rise from the dead hadn't risen. But He fulfills what He promises. Everyone who clings to the Word of God and His promises will have eternal life. I couldn't pay the price for this inheritance, but now we're part of God's family. That's why He calls it an inheritance, because an inheritance is only given within a family, right?

The enemy thought he had won on the cross and that death was the end. But the cross was only the price. The empty tomb is the sign of victory for us. It is the sign of victory that He has defeated death and the grave. He said He would rise again on the third day and He did. He also said He would return for His own and He will. Blessed be the Lord, amen. How good is His Word, hallelujah!