Revive: Awaken Hearts

So the other two possibilities make much less sense than the fact that Jesus actually did raise raise from the dead. That's the only reason they would have been saying that testimony and keeping that testimony even while they were being threatened by their own lives, being taken away from them for their testimony. You know how it happens if you've watched court cases before. When it comes down to saving their own skin, most witnesses end up coughing up. Right? The the the real truth about what had happened. Well, all of these witnesses that were threatened and executed, every one of the apostles ended up dying for this testimony. They all stayed consistent in claiming Jesus' resurrection. [00:47:10] (46 seconds)  #ApostlesDiedForResurrection

You see, only God can produce revival. And no matter where you are in your life right now or what struggles or obstacles you might be facing, there is a power so great that he can awaken revival in your heart. He can stir you and and draw you to him, and he wants you to come to him and find that power and that strength and that peace and that joy that only he can provide. And he's proven that he has a power greater than any other source you could go to because of what we celebrate today. Jesus Christ rose from the dead after he died on that cross. Amen? [00:32:51] (40 seconds)  #GodAloneRevives

Only here's the thing. Every one of them that were participated in that would have known it was a lie. And every one of them, when they were persecuted and tried and stoned and executed, would have had the opportunity to admit to save their own skin, he didn't really rise from the dead. But not a single one of them recanted their testimony. Not a single one changed their story. They consistently began proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. Friends, that's powerful testimony. We're talking about hundreds of people that saw Jesus after he rose from the dead, and not one recanted their testimony that they had seen him alive again after he was placed in that tomb. [00:46:20] (50 seconds)  #UnretractedEyewitnesses

But hearing this testimony, seeing these eyewitnesses, sharing what they had experienced of the resurrected Jesus, they, it says, were cut to their hearts. Remember on the road to Emmaus, Those people that were walking with Jesus that said, didn't our hearts burn within us when he talked to us? And now these people hearing the gospel for the first time say, Jesus proved who he was with the miracles and the wonders and the signs, the fulfilled prophecies. He gave you all the evidence, but then you crucified him. And they were cut to the heart. Their hearts were burning inside them. [01:01:08] (39 seconds)  #HeartsBurnWithTestimony

That they would risk their own lives to stick with this testimony that they've given that Jesus was alive again. That they had actually seen him and touched him and interacted with him. Jesus ate. I think that's one of the reasons Jesus said, do you have any food? Because he sat down and ate with them so they could be sure this is really him. It's not a it's not a figment of our imagination. It's not it's not somebody pretending to be him. They knew Jesus well. These were the people that were closest to Jesus. They couldn't be fooled by an impostor. This was obvious to them that this Jesus had risen from the dead, and he's right there with them after he had risen. [00:50:30] (37 seconds)  #TouchedTheRisenJesus

Friends, the evidence is overwhelming if you will just open up your heart and your mind and listen and put the things together, all the evidence together. And that's not all the evidence. There's more. There's a whole another category. I just wanted to mention this one because to me, this is one of the most powerful things that happened, and that's the beginning of the church after the resurrection. The beginning of the New Testament church. After the resurrection of Jesus, remember Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive this gift of power that he was gonna send to them, and then they would start being his witnesses beginning in Jerusalem. [00:57:58] (45 seconds)  #BirthOfTheChurchWitnesses

We all have that opportunity not because of what we've done, not because of any way we've we've done more good things than bad things. That's not that's not how it works. It's all dependent on what Jesus did on the cross. The blood that he shed there is the only blood powerful enough to remove our sin from our record so that we could be washed clean and made new. And by being buried with Christ, like he was buried, and by being raised with Christ, like he raised from the dead, we too may have new life, eternal life through him. [01:05:09] (36 seconds)  #SalvationByChristsBlood

That he would be accused by false witnesses. All the testimony was false. That he would be silent before his accusers. They got frustrated because he wouldn't answer them. They would be wounded and bruised. They would be smitten and spit upon, that he would be mocked, that his hands and feet would be pierced, that he would be crucified with thieves, that he would make intercession for those that were doing this to him. And Jesus said on the cross, father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. That he would be rejected by his own people. That he would be hated without a cause. That his friends would stand at a distance. They wouldn't stay close to him. That people that people would mock him as he hung on a cross. [00:56:13] (39 seconds)  #HundredsOfEyewitnesses