David [00:00:01]:
Good morning, everyone. Again, let me say good morning. And Easter Sunday is here. Let’s celebrate today. We welcome you to our Easter Sunday service. And today we’re going to celebrate, as I’ve been talking about, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our lord and savior. And again, I want to say this. I’ve said this the last couple weeks with his resurrection was a triumph over death, hell and the grave that brought us life eternal.
David [00:00:33]:
That was a journey of redemption, restoration and reconciliation that started in the garden of Eden. And here we are today celebrating all that Jesus has done for us. You know, I mentioned before, as I studied and I meditated on Easter and these verses, I was looking at the question that came to me, what was drawing God to do this, to move in our behalf like this? And it started with his love for us. It started with bringing light and dispelling the darkness. And today we talk about the gift of eternal light that Jesus came to bring us. And so what we want to know today is that God is life. God is life. John one four.
David [00:01:36]:
In him was life, and the life was the light of men in Genesis one three. We talked about this last week when God said, let there be light. The light came forth from within him. And because of that light, life came into the world. The beginning of all things came from the light of life. Jesus. God is the life. Genesis two seven says this.
David [00:02:13]:
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living being. The very life of God was breathed into mankind. John 526. John, chapter five, verse 26, says this, for as the father has life in himself, so he is granted the son to have life in himself. And moved by love, he came as light so we could receive the gift of life. Think about it. God formed man, and he breathed the breath of life into him.
David [00:03:06]:
And that breath of life is still ongoing in man today. That’s why we live and breathe and have our being. It’s a part of what God has given mankind, all mankind. It was a gift he gave us from the beginning. He gave us the breath of life. John 15, verse 13 says, this, greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends. Jesus came to give us the gift of life. And so when Jesus said that, it always takes me back to John 316.
David [00:03:50]:
For God so loved the world that he gave. We could stop there and talk for a little while. God is a giver. He’s not a taker. He’s a giver for God. So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. You don’t just have life, you have everlasting life. Unending life.
David [00:04:21]:
Hallelujah. That’s one of the reasons this is such a day of celebration. We’re celebrating the fact that Jesus, not only was he raised from the dead, in his resurrection we receive everlasting life. Love, light and life came together so we could live and walk in the gift of eternal life. God does not want us to perish. He wants us to live life to the fullest. John, chapter six, verse 40, says this, and this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees a son and believes in him have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.
David [00:05:14]:
Guys, there’s the, that’s why Jesus said he came, that we all could have everlasting life and that, yeah, our mortal body will die at some point, but Jesus is going to raise us up and we’re going to have a new glorified body that lives forever that has no end. It’s not finite. It’ll be infinite just like God. So John 1010, Jesus states this again, the thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy. So there’s Satan’s and that’s what he’s all about, stealing, killing and destroying. That’s the only reason he comes. But Jesus said, I have come. That they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.
David [00:06:07]:
So let’s look at what that word life means now. Get ready. Life of the absolute fullness of life is what it means, both essential and ethical. That which belongs to God and through him, both to the hypostatic or the word, the logos, and to Christ, in whom the logos put on human nature, the word put on flesh became flesh. The real and genuine life, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed in the portion, even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ. But after the resurrection, to be consummated by new accessions, among them a more perfect body and to last forever. That’s a definition of life. And to sum it up, we have through Christ, absolute fullness of life, overflowing life, every aspect.
David [00:07:21]:
And we were going, we’re going to get a perfect body as a part of this and we will last forever. Hallelujah. We are eternal beings reigning as kings and priests here on the earth, representing our father God and his kingdom here in the earth. Your kingdom come, your will be done here on the earth as it is in heaven. Lord. Now, the word abundantly there. So he said, he came to give us life abundantly. In fact, he said, more abundantly.
David [00:07:57]:
The word abundantly there means over and above. Jesus came to give you life over and above, more than is necessary. Jesus said, till it overflows. So he said, come and have life more than is necessary. Super added, exceeding abundantly, supremely, something further, more. And then it goes on to say, much more than all, more plainly superior and extraordinary. That is the life Jesus wants you to have. But it doesn’t stop there.
David [00:08:33]:
It says, surpassing, uncommon, preeminent, superiority, advantage, the most imminent, most remarkable, the more excellent. This is the quality of life God wants for us now and throughout eternity. This is why Jesus came to restore true life to us. What the enemy robbed Adam and eve of. Jesus came to give back to us, to place us back in our proper position. As Paul talks about in Ephesians, the second chapter, there, we’ve been recreated in Christ. And so Jesus came to bring us back into that place of experiencing true life, abundant life, more than enough life. And that’s what God wants for us, you say? Yeah, but brother David, I’ve got challenges I’m facing and hard things I’m dealing with.
David [00:09:36]:
Yes, Jesus said we would. He said, you’re going to have tribulation in life, but don’t be afraid of that. I’ve overcome those tribulations. So there’s always a way through, because God is more than enough and his life is more than enough in us. There’s always a way to overcome that tribulation, because the light always overcomes the darkness. The challenge, the bad thing. There is a way through. Romans six, verse 23, says this, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
David [00:10:24]:
Life everlasting. It’s God’s give to us in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Everlasting life. John, chapter four, verses 13 and 14, says this. Jesus answered and said to her, and this is, he’s speaking to the lady at the well there. Jesus answered and said to her, whoever drinks of this water will thirst again.
David [00:10:55]:
But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst, but the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life. Let me say this. The more we press in to know the Lord, the more we build our relationship and grow our relationship with the Lord. Spend time in his word, spend time worshiping him. Spend time studying, spend time praying and talking with him, spending time with him, the more that spirit of life, that water of life, will spring up into us and we will begin to experience the blessing of everlasting life. Even now, in this world, that word everlasting means without beginning and end. It is the life of God that is given to us, a life that has no beginning and has no end, that which always has been and always will be. God always has been and God always will be.
David [00:12:15]:
And his life that was within him, we receive it through Christ, and it is ours. It’s a life that never ceases. It is forever. It is perpetual. Let those words get inside of you. That’s what you have within you. That’s the life of God we all have within us. John 524 says this most assuredly.
David [00:12:43]:
I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has ever lasting life. It’s done. You receive Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. You have everlasting life. It’s done. There’s no question about it. And then it goes on to say, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. You’ve gone from darkness into light.
David [00:13:17]:
God’s love surrounds you now, if you believe in Christ Jesus, our father God who sent him, and in our father God who sent him, you have everlasting life. You don’t have to be worthy of it. You don’t have to earn it. It’s a gift from God the father to you. But not only is Jesus the light of life, not only is he the word of life, Jesus is also the bread of life. John 633 says this, for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And that word, bread simply means this in the greek, food. Jesus came down to feed us life.
David [00:14:21]:
Jesus the word is food to our spirit and to our soul, our mind, our will, our emotions. Jesus is the food. That’s why the Lord encourages us in scripture. Stay in the word. Meditate on the word day and night. This is food to your spirit. It’s food to your soul. John 635, just a couple verses later, says this, and Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.
David [00:14:50]:
He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. The word is the bread of life. And as we read, study, and meditate in the word, we are strengthened and fed, and we get light, understanding, revelation, insight comes to us. John 651 says this, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of of the world. Jesus came and did this for the whole world, for all generations, for all of mankind, so that we can all have access to the life of God and be in relationship with him and live forever. The word of God sustains us, feeds us forever, ever and ever.
David [00:16:01]:
The next thing we want to look at here is life is relationship. We’ve already talked a little bit about love desires relationship. God is love, and he desires relationship. But life is that relationship. John 17 three says that this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. You can know God. You can know Jesus. You can be best friends with him.
David [00:16:38]:
You can come into relationship with him. The gift of life, which Jesus makes available to us, gives us access to the father and to Jesus so that we can know them intimately. That’s why Paul said, come boldly before the throne. You have access. My grandkids don’t plead and beg to come into my. They just come jump in my lap. They just come. Go.
David [00:17:08]:
Papa, can I. Papa, get me something. What are you eating? Papa, can I have a bite? They like to come eat my food, and I joyfully give it to them. God joyfully, joyfully, joyfully gives you life. He wants to be in relationship with you. John 14 six. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.
David [00:17:48]:
God wants a relationship with us, but we have to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and come through him to come into the presence of the Father. We come into this gift of life through a relationship with Jesus Christ, believing in him and in his word and inviting him into our life. First, John one one three says that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled. Concerning the word of life, the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, that which we have seen and heard. We declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the father and his son, Jesus Christ. John is saying, I was there. I’ve seen all this, and I’m telling you, come on, come into relationship with Jesus.
David [00:19:00]:
Ask him into your heart. Come into fellowship with him. Fellowship there means association. It means community, it means communion. It means joint participation. It means intercourse. Intimacy, a gift jointly contributed a collection, a contribution as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship. That’s who we are in Christ with our father God.
David [00:19:34]:
But that’s also who we are. As fellow believers as the church, we come into fellowship with one another and we come into community one another. We are a family of God because of the life, the gift of life that has been given to us by God through Jesus Christ. He is a gift of life, but not only that, he is the word of life. John one, one and two says, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. The word, God’s word, the Bible is life. And that’s why when I read that definition earlier, it talked about life being the written word, the logos, but also the experiential word, that life with Jesus Christ and his spirit living within us.
David [00:20:41]:
The word is life. Romans 1017 so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. God’s word builds us and strengthens our faith. It takes us from faith to faith. It gives us courage and confidence. Romans eight two for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. The word law in this verse means instruction. This could be read for the word of instruction of the spirit of life in Christ.
David [00:21:23]:
Jesus has made me free from the word of instruction of sin and death. God’s instruction, his law overcomes the instruction of sin and death. Light always overcomes darkness first. John 520 and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him who is true and we are in him who is true and his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal life. We have an understanding by the spirit and by the word of life that brings us into a never ending relationship. Eternal life with God, our father, our creator, our redeemer. And Jesus came to bring this life to it.
David [00:22:23]:
And he said in John 1010 that it would be abundant life. Let me read that again. In fact, let me read it from the amplified. John 1010 and the amplified says this, the thief comes only in order to steal, to kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows. Hallelujah. God wants you to have and enjoy life. He wants you to have his life to the full till it overflows.
David [00:23:01]:
God is fully love, God is fully light. God is fully life. And he sent his son Jesus so we could walk in the fullness of his love, his light and his life. And that’s what we do today. We celebrate this on Easter Sunday and rejoice in the fact that everything the enemy stole, Jesus came and restored and redeemed us so that we could walk and be reconciled to God, put back in our proper place and position and walk in the fullness of his love, his light and his life. And that is God’s gift to you. Friend, if you’re wanting love, God’s life, his light, I just ask you to pray this prayer with me and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. Bow your heads with me and repeat after me.
David [00:24:10]:
Father God, I come before you today, and I acknowledge that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that he was resurrected unto life eternal so that I could have the gift of life also. So, Jesus, I ask you today, come into my heart, forgive me of my sins and receive me as one of your own, that I may walk in the fullness of your love, your light and your life. Today, in Jesus name, I receive you as my lord and savior. Amen. Wow. Friend, if you just prayed that prayer, Jesus is just taking up residence within you and everything we’ve been talking about today is yours. And friends, if you’ve already prayed that prayer, I hope today has encouraged you and inspired you to go out and share this message of hope, this message of love, of light and life with everyone you come in contact with. This is all about bringing people back into relationship with their father God.
David [00:25:42]:
God bless you. You have a blessed week. Pastor Conia is coming right now with a word of encouragement and we ask you to lift us up in prayer also, and we expect to hear great things from you in the coming weeks. God bless.
