BELIEVE
by Kevin Allen
March 31, 2024 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Genesis 2:6-7, Genesis 2:15-17, James 1:12, John 10:10, Isaiah 9:6-7, Acts 2:23-24, Luke 24:1-6, James 1:15, Revelation 2:10, Ephesians 2:1-10, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, 1 Peter 1:4, Romans 8:6, Galatians 6:7-8, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 1 Peter 5:4

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kevin-allen--believe
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Now, I am excited. It's one of my favorite days of the year — celebrate our risen Savior. I'm going to go to Genesis, and I'm literally going to end in Revelations. I'm just going to throw it out there: we're going to go from one end of the Book to the other, so just hang on. It's going to be good stuff. But I do feel as though I have a word for the Lord.

I'm going to be building on the previous two Sundays. I did a three-part Easter series. I started off by talking about how important it is that we pay attention to what it is that we see. And I talked about the couple that was walking the road from Aus, after the crucifixion had taken place. And as you read there, their account of the story — that they had lost hope. We read their words, that "we had hoped He was the One, that He was the Messiah." And how they didn't realize that it was Jesus that was walking with them. And then He began to talk about prophecies in the Scripture. And then eventually it leads to their house, and they invite Him in, and He breaks bread with them. And it says their eyes were open, and they knew Him. I'm not going to repr-preach that message. But if you were not here with us, I would encourage you to go back on the app, or the website, and listen to it. Because you don't have to have had that, to get today's message. But it adds to what we're going to do today.

And then last Sunday, I talked about the importance of hearing. And I took you also to the book of Genesis, in chapter 3, where the enemy, the serpent, makes his way into the garden, and he begins to cause them to doubt things that God said. And what was interesting about it is that he used words that were so similar to what God had spoken, that it made them stop for a minute, and ask the question: "Is that what God said? Is that what God had intended?" And then he told him a lie. And the lie that he told him was, "Thou shalt not die." And talked about how that was a lie. It was a lie. Now, I'd encourage you again to go back and catch up on that. But I'm going to go today — and I'm building off of those messages for today.

And we're going to go back to the book of Genesis, chapter two this time, reading starting verse number six. It says: "But there went up a mist from the earth, and a water the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" — everybody say, "Life" — "and man became a living soul."

Now, some of you are like, "Pastor Kevin, this is Easter." It is Easter. But we got to get there. Just trust me.

Genesis 2:15: "And the Lord God took the man, and put him in the Garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day thou eatest therefore, thou shalt surely die.'" Those are God's words: "If you do that, you're going to die."

Then the book of James. Some of you say, "Uh-oh, go to James." James — he doesn't beat around the bush. He doesn't sugarcoat anything. James is a guy that will rip the Band-Aid right off. And James says this, verse 12 of chapter 1: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation. For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life" — everybody say, "Life" — "which the Lord hath promised to them that loved Him."

For just a little while today, on this Easter Sunday, I want to talk about the importance of learning to believe. And if I was going to subtitle it, I would subtitle the message this way: you need to believe you were born to wear a crown. You need to believe that you were born to wear a crown. I feel God with me now. Will you help me pray right now?

Jesus, I'm so thankful for everything that's taking place up to this moment. For Your presence that is here. For the worship that we got to participate in. But Lord, I know right now is the moment You've brought us to. And I pray, God, that You would anoint our hearts and our minds, to receive Your Word today, that we can apply it in our life. And do what You do best, God. Take our brokenness, and make it beautiful. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

The English poet Francis Quarrel is quoted, saying: "He that hath no cross deserves no crown." "He that hath no cross deserves no crown."

Crowns are an interesting thing. I've been blessed in my life to have been able to travel quite a bit, and I'm very thankful for that. There was a time when my family and I got to go over and to see the Crown Jewels in England, and go by that. It's very interesting: you get on a little conveyor belt, and you just stand still, and it takes you by the cases. And if you want to see them again, you got to get back off, and go back down, and ride it again. Now, I did question my manhood a little bit, by being captivated by jewelry. But I'll have to say to you, it was some pretty spectacular stuff that was there. And part of that showcase that was presented was the crowns that were there. And I looked at all the detail, and the intricate workings that the jewelers had put in there, and they placed all the stones just so. And I began to think to myself, "Man, I bet it's awkward having that thing on your head." Because some of them are big. Now, some of them were smaller, and, you know, a little bit less weight. But the big, orate one — I could only imagine trying to balance that on my head.

Crowns are typically reserved for very specific things. For someone who has accomplished much, or put into a position, or place — there specifically — they are hard to obtain, quite often, or else everybody would have one. Now, I know we can go — we used to could — I don't know if you still can — we used to could go to Burger King, and everybody got one. Not only could you have the burger your own way, but you got a crown, too. It was a bonus that was there. You guys remember getting the crowns of Burger King? Yeah. Yeah. Usually, though, somebody had to do something special. They had to be be rised to certain occasions. This is a term that often gets used in sports: that they're playing for the crown, or they're playing for the championship. And in order for you to achieve that status, you got to be elite. You got to be the best of the best. You got to be at the top of your field, and everything that you do, to receive it. You got to dedicate your life to something that's special. You got to live committed, and completely be sold out to the cause.

On this Easter Sunday, I want us to know today that we have a choice in this life. You can choose to believe, or you can choose to not believe. But I hope, by the end of this message today, that you will choose to believe that you were born to wear a crown. Yes. That you were born to wear a crown.

We are here, and we're talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what does that mean to us today? We're living in this postchristian world, where — as I was talking to Bishop before service, back in my office — I told him that I have to approach sermons a lot differently than I did as a young man growing up. Because as a young man growing up, growing up in a Christian society, it was easy to say things like, you know, "When Shadrach, Meach, and Abedo were in the fiery furnace," or "Like David in the lion's den." I could make those statements, and the overwhelming majority of the crowd could — identify, and they knew firsthand the story I was talking about. So I didn't have to do a lot of explaining. I could make my point, of how that tied in with where I was trying to take us. But in our world today, not everybody knows that story. Now, if you don't know those stories, I don't want you to feel bad. It's okay. I just have to approach — in my teaching and my preaching — from the standpoint of: they may not know. So I have to do a little bit more explaining, in order to set some things up.

But I want you to know today: whether you realize this or not, you were created to wear a crown. You were born to wear a crown. Now, the enemy of our soul does not want you to know this. He doesn't want you to grasp this reality. He doesn't want you understand — he sure doesn't want you to believe it. He wants to counteract that. He wants to come against that. And all he desires to do was told to us in John 10, verse number 10, when it says: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy." These are the words of Jesus, when He's talking about the devil. But He said, "I come that they might have life, and then have it more abundantly." He wants you to have an abundant life. That's what our God desires for you.

Now, that's not me preaching you happy. And that's not me trying to sell you some bill of goods, about how that you can be prosperous if you'll just give to my campaign. I'm not here to take up any money, or to raise for anything. I'm not running from anything — most time I'm running away from a lot. But I need you to know that our God designed you, specifically, for you to live an abundant life.

Now, here's the deal: His idea of abundance, and our idea of abundance, often times gets confused. Because a lot of times, we place a lot of emphasis on stuff. And if I have a lot of stuff, then I'm living an abundant life. Well, it got quiet, didn't it? I'm okay with quiet. But God's idea of abundant life is much different. Now, the enemy is trying to kill. The enem is always about bringing death. Everybody say, "Death." So far, I've asked you to say a couple of words. I asked you to say "life," and I've asked you to say "death." These are what we are counteracting today. And that's exactly what we are celebrating: was the victory of life over death, on Calvary. That's why we're here today: is to celebrate an empty tomb.

Because here is a truth for you: our God is a jealous God. But guess who else gets jealous, too? The enemy. He is jealous that you and I have an opportunity for a relationship with God, that he cannot have. He had a relationship. He had an established position in the kingdom. But because he overstepped his boundary — he misstepped — he got kicked out of the kingdom. And now his sole mission and purpose to exist is to try to cause you and I to stumble, at every turn, in every corner, because he is jealous of the opportunity that we have, that he doesn't.

So now God is jealous, and the enemy is jealous. I want to read you something that probably is going to sound familiar to me. But tune in and listen. You've probably heard this said before: "Dust to dust, and ashes to ashes. The man goes to his long home, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

Here's a reality for you. This is the truth, for everybody in this room, and everyone who's listening online. This is the truth: if the Lord continues to Tar, you're going to die. It's inescapable. Regardless of what the enemy tried to tell them in the garden, you are going to die. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. I hope none of those are the cases. It could be years down the road. It could be decades down the road. It could be multiple decades down the road. But eventually, should the Lord Terry, you're going to die. You're going to be warm food. Does that encourage anybody today? Is anybody a little happier, because of that statement I made? Probably not. Not so much, right? It's a harsh thing to think about. But is it any less true? Is it not the truth? It is the truth. Yes.

Death claimed the lies of God's first human creations. Every miracle of life — because life is a miracle — ended in death's icy grip. No one was safe from its reach. Death came to everyone. It didn't matter how much money you had. It didn't matter how smart you were. It did not matter your talent, or your abilities, or your knowledge, or your political influence. It did not matter how physically strong you were, or how much of a technological genius. No power, no diplomacy — nothing could keep it at bay. The Babylonian armies couldn't stop it. The Persian hordes couldn't stop it. Roman legions could not stop the onslaught of death. It was sung to. It was screamed at. It was cursed. It was reasoned with. But nothing was able to stop it, in the slightest, at all. No difference was ever made. It respected no name. It regards no person. It doesn't matter your last name. It is not avoided by any man or woman. Not overlooked by any race, tribe, or ethnicity. The most famous of names that we can research — Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel — had no advantage. And even the worst of names, whether it was Nimrod, or Jacob — or, excuse me, Nimrod, or Pharaoh, or Hof, or Phineas, or Ahab, or Jezebel, or Queen Aali — they all met the same fate. Eventually, death took them.

It doesn't matter: any miracle drugs you come across, surgical suites you may have, science labs, funeral poers, or burial vaults, or being frozen in time — death comes for us all. "For in the day thou eatest of, thou shalt surely die." God always speaks truth. And God always keeps His word.

But something changed. Something was born. And because of it, hope came to this world, and to humanity, in the most unlikely place, in all earth. He was born in a manger. Thank You, Lord. Born to an impoverished little couple, who barely had two nickels to rub together. They didn't have anything. He didn't come with PP and circumstance, by the way that man would do things. There was no army that was parading through the streets. There was no banners that were waving. Even though the angelic host celebrated the moment, the King came in the most humblest of ways. You have to believe that He was born to wear a crown. But it was a crown different than any other crown that had been like it before.

Isaiah the prophet says this, in chapter 9, verse number 6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." That's who we celebrate today. That's who we are here. "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, to establish it with judgment and with justice, from hence forth and forever. The zeal of the Lord of host will perform this." This is the Magnificent One in history, walked on to stage in a manger.

Leprosy, the disease of living death, met its match. Demons met their Master. Blindness met the Light. Death met his fate. The daughter of Jaras, the widow of Nana of Nan son, Lazarus — all had the hand cuts of death slipped off their wrists. This vast underworld of evil and oppressed convulsed, because they began to ask the question: "Who is this Man? What is different about Him? No one ever talked like Him. No whatever did the things that He did." Because things changed, when He came. His words — they were different. Yes. They brought hope. The way He spoke — He didn't necessarily raise His voice. But the way and the manner in which He conducted Himself, it was different than anybody they had ever interacted with before. They didn't know what to do. People begin to follow Him, just — to hear what He had to say. Because His words brought life. Everybody say, "Life." His words brought hope. It was different. Who is this Man? What is it about Him? To see the things He did — the miracles, the signs, and the wonders. It was causing there to be hope, where all hope has seemingly been lost. After all, before Him, death always had the final say. Before Him, there was nothing beyond the grave. What was it about Him? Some say He was Isaiah — others, Jeremiah — one of the prophets. The Apostle Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Never a man spoke like Him. The winds and ways obeyed His voice. The name Jesus — everybody was talking about it.

The plan hatched and hell turned the tide. And it took deceitfulness of priests, and traitors disciples, and cowardly Pilot, and a fickle crowd, and Roman soldiers' brutality. And it seemed to succeed: that this One, who spoke life — this One, who brought hope — this One, who lived in a way that was so contrary to the way anybody else had ever lived — this perfect One, the sinless sacrifice — He had a crown placed on His head. This crown, especially amongst the Romans and Greeks, was a symbol of victory and reward. But what victory did this represent? This was now something quite different. Because it wasn't a crown of gold, and it wasn't a crown of jewels. It was a crown of thorns. What possible victory could this symbolize? It didn't make sense, logically thinking. No one was looking at Him as the Victorious One. What was taking place — because He seemed to be able to do things that no one else was able to do, to speak in ways that no one else was able to speak — but what was taking place now made no sense. Because He had built everyone up, that hope was available, relationship was available, that death seemingly no longer had its grip on us. But what was taking place now was beond the ability for humanity to comprehend what was going on. Where was hope going? Was it all for nothing? Did we misunderstand? Did He misrepresent? Was this just the power of positive thinking? It couldn't be, because He did things nobody else did. When He spoke, nature itself paid attention. Those that were dead came back to life. But why is He in this position now? And why is He wearing a crown of thorns? It's beyond our ability to rationalize that it's come to this.

Nails hammered through His hands and feet, fastening His flesh to a blood-soaked cross. His head tilted forward on His lacerated chest. And finally, He cried out, "It is finished." But what is finished? What is finished? Is this the end? Is this all there is? Was He only born to wear a crown of thorns? Surely this isn't it. How did we miss it so bad?

And then the limp body falls on the shoulder ERS of Joseph of Arthea. And he carries Him to a tomb, and lays His lifeless body on a slab. And the stone was sealed. And you could hear the haunting laughter throughout hell, and the earth, as death reverberated throughout, and chilling the bones of the living, in the spirit of the dead. Satan was laughing. It was his last smirk, of earth's great Nemesis. But something was about to happen.

This irresistible force of death had reigned supreme for far too long. And it seemed like nothing was unstoppable — and all of this was true, for thousands of years. Until — until the Almighty God decided that death had its way far too long. Peter talked about it, in Acts chapter 2: "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and forn knowledge of God, have taken, by Lawless hands and having crucified and put to death. Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it."

The same one who wrote Acts also wrote Luke. Luke pins these words, in chapter 24:1: "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came, and certain of the women with them." They came to the tomb, bringing with them spices that they had prepared. "But they found that the stone was rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid, and bow their faces to the earth, they said unto them, 'Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is not here. He is not here.'" What you thought happened, didn't happen. There was much more at play. There was much more going on, inside this tomb. "He is risen. He is risen. He is risen."

It is almost impossible to conceive, that the King of kings, and the great Creator, would submit to these things. That He would submit to being betrayed by close friends. That He would submit to be a little away toward a wrongful trial. That He would be forsaken by His closest followers. That He would accept false accusations, and gross injustices. That He would be mocked, and slapped, and tortured. And that that mob would call for His death, and they would put a crown of thorns on His head. That He'd be willing to drag His cross to the place of His execution. That He would submit to being identified with criminals, and having SP driven through His hands and feet. That He'd be willing to have everything taken away from Him, and stripped of all dignity. Why would a King do this?

But in the cruelty and Justice that He faced, and His willingness to be obedient — He was simply fulfilling what had always been put in place, from the moment He drew His first breath, from His life on earth. He knew that He was marching towards this moment. That He would be turned over to the desires of His foes. He knew. But they did not. They did not understand that they were not really in charge. They were simply part of a greater plan, that had been put in place all the way back in the garden. They didn't understand. And they had no idea that, long before they were born, that God had chose to turn their moment of deceit and injustice into a moment of triumph and salvation. And this irresistible force of death just came face to face with a Victorious One. And though they seen it as a crown of thorns — as something to mock and defeat — He willingly placed it on His hand. And He come back out of the grave, not wearing a crown of thorns, but wearing the Victor's crown. And that's why you and I have hope of life, in this world. I don't have to settle for less than, because my God has purchased my redemption on Calvary's hill. But He didn't stop there. He came back out of the grave with the keys to death and hell in His hands. That's our God. That's what we celebrate, on Easter. Regardless of what anybody else tells you. And regardless of what else gets celebrated, in churches across our county. I'm telling you today: it's about an empty tomb. It's about an empty tomb. It's about an empty tomb. We have victory, because of what He did. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. We have life — abundant life — because of Him.

Now, I know you might be asking: "What does this have to do with me, in 2024? It's a great story, Pastor Kevin. I hope it's even true. But my life will go on, just like it always has, the moment I walk out those doors. The resurrection of Jesus Christ may be great news, but is it really my news? What does it have to do with me? I've got other issues. I got other things to think about. Stuff that — no disrespect, Pastor Kevin — that are bigger than a crucifixion in my life, or a burial, or a resurrection, that happened 2,000 years ago. What am I supposed to do with these things?"

Well, here's something I need you to know. And it's another truth. And you know it's a truth, because we've already addressed it. And that is this: that death has never changed. Death has never given up. It doesn't matter how modern. It doesn't matter how up-to-date you are, how cutting-edge you are in your life. The same old Nemesis of — death still lives its stench and stain in our lives today, just like it did back then. It desires to keep you from the things that God has for you. See, some people think that death can only be found in morgs, and funeral poers, and cemeteries. But I want you to know that anywhere Satan can spread sin, he spreads death. Everybody say, "Death." There's a reason why the Bible says that those that are out with Christ are dead in their trespasses and sins.

Now, give me just a couple minutes. Now, you Tennessee fans were probably excited, because I got ramped up, and you thought, "He's fixing to make the alra call." But I wasn't. I'm actually really getting now into the message. I want you to think with me, though. I want to get real with us. Sin is death.

I'm going to read James again, for you. James 1:15: "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." I want that to set on the screen, for just a second. I want you just to process what goes on. Because in our world today, where we see — here's the situation we deal with: we are living in this dispensation of grace, right now, where God, and His mercy, allows the freedom of choice that you and I have, to often times s go by what seemingly is a way of being unpunished. In other words, that we can live any way we choose to live. That's your choice. It's your freedom. You can make the decisions: where you want to go, how you want to act, who you want to be around, the things that you want to do. You can make a choice to either live a life according to what His Word says — what all of His Word says, what the complete Word says, the entire Word says. I say that, and make a point of that, because there's a lot of churches that don't preach the whole Book. There are churches today — and some of you may even read some of the things that went on, about very influential churches, in Christianity as a whole today. Very influential — influential, that word — and what they're doing. But they're not going to talk about the blood today. They're not going to talk about anything that makes anybody uncomfortable. I don't understand that. I don't understand, because the Word of God has always been controversial. The Word of God has always been offensive. Because anywhere sin is, truth will always be offensive to it.

James 1:15 says: "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin." It's not just about you lusting. You know, some of you think lust is a sexual thing. And it is a big part — to do a sexual thing. But you can lust after things. You can desire things. It's a big word. I know it's only few letters there, but it's a big word. It plays into a lot of stuff. And James is given a warning. Because remember: James is our guy. You want James on your side. You need a James in your life. Because he doesn't mind hurting your feelings. He doesn't mind point out things like: you got broccoli in your teeth, or booger in your nose. You need a James in your life. James says, when lust hath conceived — when it takes root on you — it brings sin. Okay? It brings sin. And I'm not going to do a deep dive into that. But I would encourage you to study this out. Go to James today. And there's a lot of Bible study tools for you online, to go study this out. What he's talking about — he's saying, you got to be careful. Because you can be — it's not a big deal. Nobody slap me on the hand. Society says it's okay. I don't know about you, but I'm not comfortable with most anything society says is okay. It makes me really, really nervous. If society's good with it, I probably shouldn't be good with it. But when it plants its seed, it brings sin. Then you go on, it says, "But sin, when it is finished — " what does it bring? Death.

When you abuse substances, you are injecting death into your body. When you get involved with immorality, you are embracing death. When you lie, when you cheat, when you steal, when you live a dishonest way, and a dishonest life — you're not free. You think you're free, but you're dancing with death. Yes.

Revelations 2:10 says: "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried. And when you have tribulation 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." You have to believe that you were born to wear a crown. Yes. You have to believe that there's more than just fulfilling what desire you have in a moment — that there's so much more to life.

So what does Jesus Christ's resurrection have to do with you, today? Well, simply this: if He defeated death in His own body, He can defeat death in yours. If He was able to overcome the grave, He can give you the power to overcome the grave. His victory gives Him the ability to give you a crown. But you have to believe that you were born to wear it.

Now, many of you struggle with this in your life, because of your own issues, or what has happened to you, by other people who are also broken by sin. Paul wrote this, that I feel like is very important for us, to the church in Ephesus. He says, in chapter 2, verse number one: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air — the spirit now works in the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. And were by nature children of wrath, as others. But God — " I love it when the Bible has a "but God." "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses made us together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, and His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before him that we should walk in them."

Now, I know some people get bored by reading King James language. But there's a whole lot of really important stuff that I just read to you. That you were created for good works. You were created for good works. You're not believing me yet. And I can't move forward — the whole rest of my message is derailed, if I can't get you to believe that you were created for good works. You were created for good works.

You may have done bad things in your life. Now, here's — this is not a trick question. But some of you are going to hesitate to respond to this. But it is not a trick question. It is a real question, and there's a real answer to it. How many of you have been bad? Now, anybody don't have their hand up — you look at them, and say, "You're lying right now. Liar, liar, pants on fire." Yeah, I'm going to do that again. How many of you have been bad? Yeah. Good. Good. Yeah — we've all been bad.

He talked about that — Paul, writing to the church, said you were caught up in the lust of the flesh, and in your own desires. You got in all that stuff. But God, who's rich in mercy, look past your failures. Look past your mistakes. He didn't base what He did on whether or not you were going to do the right thing. But He did the right thing anyway. Our God did what He needed, because you — even though you may have messed up, and you may have made a — mistake — you were created for good things. You were created for good. You were created to wear a crown. You were created to rule and reign. That's why He made you. That's why He breathed life into you: to do good stuff.

"All right, Pastor Kevin — well, you got me on the sin thing. I can see that. And there's some stuff — and we know we made disagree on what it necessarily is, bad or not bad." And I'll just say this: you and I can disagree. But at some point, you got to get it here. You got to get here. It doesn't matter, my opinion. My opinion matters not. And I hope you take this the right way, on Easter Sunday, because I'm not mean to be offensive. But your opinion doesn't matter, either. What matters is, what thus sayith the Word of God.

"All right, Pastor K. All right. But what about sickness? I know about sin. But what about all this sickness? What about every time there's a cancer diagnosis, and there's a tumor in someone's body? Or every time that there's the grimace of pain, from nerve damage, or from arthritis, or something like? Or every time someone's arteries get clogged? Or every time that someone has trouble breathing, because of Of of CPD, or something like that?" Here's the deal: I want you to know that all that comes to let you know that death is still within arm's reach. The body's failing. I cleaned out a fener the past couple of days. And 48 years old, and body's failing. I don't springboard out of the bed like I used to. In fact, I'm to the point now, before I lay down, I take a little Lea, to help me groan my way out of the bed the next morning. The body's failing. Subject to sickness and disease. And we're finally going to lose that fight, at some point, should the Lord Terry.

And if you're here today, with pain and suffering going on your body, I want you to know that the same God who created you can heal you. He has healed my body. And I have seen Him heal countless numbers of other people. Am I say — that's not me hyping you up. I've literally seen that stuff happen, in front of me. God is still a healer. The Bible says, "By His stripes, we are healed." But even if none of us gets our healing, this resurrection message is still true.

Paul, again, writing to another church, but the one in Corinth, says this, in 1 Corinthians 15:51: "Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we all be changed — in the moment, in the twinkling of eye, at the last trump. the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Right? Go down to verse number 55. It says: "Oh death, where's thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Death is not the final say, for those who are following after Him. It's not the final. See, my hope is not here. I'm not ready to take the first train out, but I'm not afraid to die. I'm not afraid to die. Come on. As Bishop used to say — when he would be up preaching these messages, he would say, "You threaten me with death, is to threaten me with heaven. So how am I threatened?" You know, the worst thing that the government can do — or anybody who tries to come back, for trying to sentence you, for some wrong you did — is to give you the death penalty. But if you living right with God, what threat is that? "You threaten me with heaven?" Okay, man. I don't — that's neily wanting to go. But if that's all you got, it's all right. Because I know I have confidence, because of what He did — because of the finished work at Calvary. Death is not the final stage. Jesus Christ gained victory over death, and brought with it everlasting life. Because I was born to wear a crown. And you were born to wear a crown. You have to believe that it's reserved [in you] in heaven, right now. It has your name on it. It's just for you. 1 Peter 1:4 says: "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, res served in heaven for you." Hey, you may have a reservation for dinner, but I promise you, there's a much better reservation waiting on you. And it's on the other side of the sunny banks of deliverance, where I know my Lord and Savior is. And He's waiting for the day that you would wake up, and understand: "I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to be afraid." Why? Because there's an empty tomb. And there's a reservation for me. And I was born to wear a crown.

Y'all need to calm down. It's Easter.

To my lukew friends today, I have a message for you. You who are not ready to take spiritual things seriously. You are here, physically, in this building, but spiritually, you are a million m away. You may not realize it, but carnality is death. We know this because Romans 8:and six says: "For to be carnally minded is death." Is to be death — is death. To be caught up in the things of this world is death. "But to be spiritually minded is life." Because there's the two words again: life and death. Life and death. You can choose to be a halfway Christian. But I don't even think that makes sense. It's like an oxymoron: either all in, or all — He didn't halfway go to the cross. He didn't half die. How can you be a halfway Christian? You can be Christian in name only. You can try to ride the fence. But you're still choosing death. Galatians 6:7 says: "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever man Seth, that shall he also reap. For he that Seth into his flesh shall reap shall the flesh reap corruption. But he that Seth into the Spirit shall the Spirit reap life everlasting." Yes. Where you at today?

Come on. To me, I think it's even more dangerous, for you to have knowledge of what truth is, and to willingly ignore it, or say to yourself, "I have time." What a — very respectfully — what a very foolish thing, to think that you have time. No man knows. No man knows when his time is up. All right? No one knows when you're going to breathe your last. We live, and in all likelihood you may be okay. But you don't know. You don't know when your last is. So why would you take a chance with eternity? And why — it might be, by this time, in many of your lives, many of you thought things would be a little bit better. Some of you are going through a lot of sorrow in life. You guys okay? I really do feel like I have about eight minutes, in preacher time, left.

There's a whole group of people here today, that you become a little disillusion by life. You're bitter at your circumstances. And you're angry at people. And you blame for your problems. And quite frankly, you're just depressed over the future. There's nothing out there. You've heard these messages before. You've heard preachers get up, and do the preacher thing. And you're like, "You're not really telling me anything different. And I'm going to leave, and everything's going to be the same. Nothing's going to change in my life." Elder Brother Tenny used to say: "You can throw a pity party, but don't expect me to come." By this time in your life, you thought you'd be healthier, and wealthier, and wiser. But instead, you're sicker, fatter, poor, and dumber. Some of you like, "Man, Pastor Kevin just read my mail." Some of you like, "Pastor Kevin just read my neighbor's mail."

2 Corinthians 7:10: "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of. But the sorrow of the world worketh death." We can talk all day long about death, and leave here depressed, and discouraged, and somewhat destroyed. But let me tell you about a God that I serve. God is not a God of the dead. He's a God of the living. And every time you draw breath, you need to thank Him for that. Because I started this message — off, and told you: He breathed in you the breath of life. And every time you take one — it's His life He gave you. He gave you the ability to breathe. He gave that to you. And you should be thankful for it. Is it amazing how, when things are taken away, that then we become thankful for it? You know it's true. Just get a clogged-up nose, and all of a sudden you got to breathe from your mouth, for about five minutes. How many then are you thankful that you can breathe through your nose? Yeah. How many of you have had one clogged ear, and all of a sudden it pops open, and then what do you do? "Oh, thank God, I can hear." You wern't thankful for it, until it got taken away. You know, I think it'd be helpful if we were a little proactive in our thankfulness. "God, thank You that I got up today. Thank You that I'm breathing right now. Thankful that I have the breath of life in my lungs. Thank You that You are good, and merciful, and kind to me. Thank You. Thank You."

As I bring this to an end — musicians can come — life embodies the essence of God. Life represents the power of God. Life can send snow, sleep, ice, and cold, but it can't stop the spring. The ravages of death can send its pain, tears, grief, and suffering, but it can't stop life. The enemy can come against you. It can th you. It can cause you to try to stumble. It can tease you. It can tempt you, and then try its best to make you stumble. But if you believe that you were born to wear a crown, he can't stop you. He can't stop you. You get to choose.

Jesus is the unstoppable, irrepressible, inevitable, unavoidable, and unconquerable One. You were born to wear a crown. Life is relentless, and persistent, and insistent, and consistent, and determined, and adamant, and resolute, and stubborn. But it's a choice you make. I can't make the choice for you. If I could, I would choose every one of you. I would choose life. I would choose the crown, for you. But I can't. It's yours to choose. It's your decision to make. Your neighbor can't force you. Your mama can't force you. Your spouse can't make you do it. Your friends can't make you do it. They can influence you. They can encourage you. They can try to help you. But in the end, it's your choice. It's your decision.

And I come here, on this Easter Sunday, to bring this sermon to a close, to tell you that you have a choice. You can choose to believe that what He did — it was just a story. A historical account of what took place — because we know that there's evidence to support it — and you can look at that as something that took place in time. "I'm thankful that it happened, and we're here today to support that. But I don't know where my buy-in is." That's a choice you can make. Or you can choose the opposite. You can say, "Hey, what I think will happen is: for me — it's for me that He died. For me. And I want to make a choice to believe that. I want to believe that, even though my life may not be perfect right now, and there may be a lot of stuff going on that I'm not happy with — I'm still going to choose that He created me for good works, for good things. Even though there's been bad things, or I've made bad decisions, or I've got my St in trouble — God didn't create me for those things. That's the brokenness of humanity. That's the effect of sin. That's what sin has done to this world. But my God is a good God. And He's a God of love. And He's a God of mercy. And He knows where you're at. And He knows your circumstances. And He knows what you're dealing with." It's a choice you can make. Because He has a reservation for you in heaven. There's a crown waiting for you. But it doesn't do me any good to tell you that, unless you believe it. Unless you believe it. It's your choice. I hope today you'll believe that you were born to wear a crown. You were born to wear a crown. It's yours.

Will you stand with me? first Peter 5:and4: "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." It fadeth not away. My crown's not going to fade. It's not going to fade.

I don't know your story. I know His story. I know my story. I don't know your story. I don't know what you really believe about God. I don't know what you really believe about yourself. Here's what I do know: there's a broken, messed-up world outside these church walls. I have zero faith — zero faith — the the government's ever going to fix anything. I have zero faith the humanity is going to figure it all out. Zero faith. "Have you given up on man?" I haven't given up on man. No. I hang on to the reality I know in Him, and that He created you and I to do good things. I hang on to the fact that He said He would send His Spirit back — thank You, Jesus — to live inside of you and I. And that same resurrection power that got Him out of the grave — the Bible says He put in you. Which means I have the ability to overcome the death that's trying to constantly pull me down. In other words, I have life in me. Not just the breath of life, but the resurrection of life. It's in me. He's filled me with His Spirit. Now, death is constantly pulling at me, every day. I got to make a decision: am I going to give into death? Am I going to give into life? Right now, here's what I know: the death is always the easy route. It's always easy to give in death. Life — you got to work for it. Yes, you got to work for it. You don't achieve it by works. Don't misunderstand me. Come on, say that. But you got to make the decision, that "I'm going to live an obedient life, according to His Word, His purpose, and His plan for me." And if you do, life's yours. There's a crown for you. Hallelujah. But if you don't — if you don't — and it's your choice — if you don't, death is waiting at the door.

You need to see, and know, that He had to suffer and die. That hope's not lost — hope's alive. Thank You, Lord. You need to hear, and understand, that the devil's a liar. You will die. You'll die out to self. You'll die out to sin. And eventually, you'll die out, if He chooses a ter — you'll die out in this world. You'll die. But He brings life. Right? He created you for good works. He allows you to choose: life or death. Life or death. And I pray you choose life. Yes. I pray you choose the crown. But it's something you have to believe.

Will you bow your heads of me? Jesus, I thank You, Lord. I thank You for Calvary. Thank You. I thank You for an empty tomb. I thank You for the life that You gave, so that I could have hope in this world. I'm thankful, Lord, that there is more than just the present. But God, I have a future in You, Lord. I don't know every story. I don't know every life circumstance is represented in this room. But You do. You know where we are. I pray, God, that that drawing power — that resurrection power — would do a work in this place right now. That God, as this altar is open right now, that would draw men and women he would draw men and women. The Word says, unless You draw — unless You draw, it has to be You, Lord. Your Spirit draws. I pray You would do Your work today. God, I pray somebody would be filled with Your Spirit today, on this Easter Resurrection Sunday. In the mighty name of Jesus. This altar is open. If you'd like to pray, I invite you to come.