Easter | A Love Story

Easter is a love story. An act of love for a heartbroken world. The fulfillment of the promise that no matter what has happened in your life, what you’ve done, or how far you feel from God, LOVE says you were worth dying for. The good news of Easter is that we don’t have to wonder if we are loved or what that love will do for us. LOVE has come to save us all. Join us for Easter with Crossroads.

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    - Hey, this is Easter with Crossroads. I'm Kyle.
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    - I'm Hannah. And we are so very glad
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    that you're here with us today.
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    - We're glad because it turns out that 80% of us
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    don't feel loved at all,
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    and Easter is, like, a -- it's a love story.
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    - It's a huge love story.
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    So no matter who you are or where you come from,
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    we're glad you're here and we're glad
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    that you're going to hear it today.
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    I'm especially excited because we're talking
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    about love, love stories.
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    I'm a sucker for love stories.
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    Kyle makes fun of me because I like watching Hallmark.
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    I know, I know, but, Kyle, I'm telling you
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    the reason I like Hallmark, it's cheesy and it's awesome,
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    but also they like insert the love hits in there.
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    The music. It's about the music.
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    - I like that.
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    I made a couple of really popular
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    love mixtapes in high school.
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    - Okay, so you get it, you understand.
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    And you know what? Thinking about love and mix tapes,
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    I got married in COVID.
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    - You did. Congratulations.
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    - One of the songs that comes to mind for me
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    is that I found love in a hopeless place.
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    Like, Hello, COID. Come on.
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    - [sings] I found love in a hopeless place.
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    - Yes, that song. That's exactly it.
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    - How'd you like it?
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    - You got it. It was the right key.
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    - I'm excited because
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    I just want to know what love is, actually,
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    - Everyone does, it's like I want to know what love is.
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    I know you're singing.
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    - I want to know because I heard this other thing.
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    Maybe you've heard it, "All you need is love."
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    Have you heard that?
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    - Come on, I knew where you were going.
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    [sings] All you need is love. [vocalizing]
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    - Yes. - [sings] All you need is love, love.
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    - [sings] Love is all you need.
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    - Good job, Kyle. That was awesome.
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    - Love.
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    We long for love and celebrate it wherever we find it.
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    And yet the latest surveys say that
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    80% of us don't feel loved.
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    If love is love, wherever and whenever you find it,
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    why are we still so lonely, afraid, and heart broken?
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    The Bible tells us that love actually has a name
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    and is incarnate in the person of Jesus.
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    The ultimate definition of love,
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    who put that love into action
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    when He laid down His life.
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    Love was made flesh, and that flesh was tempted.
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    It was misunderstood.
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    It was torn and it suffered unto death.
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    Love as God defines it isn't a feeling.
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    Love is an action, and Easter is a love story,
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    an act of love for a heartbroken world,
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    the fulfillment of the promise that
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    no matter what has happened in your life,
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    what you've done or how far you feel from God,
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    love says you were worth dying for.
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    The good news of Easter is that
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    we don't have to wonder if we're loved
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    or what that love will do for us.
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    Love has come to save us all.
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    [music: Pride (In the Name of Love), by U2]
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    [song: God So Loved, by We the Kingdom]
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    - Yeah. Love is a big deal.
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    I know that right now in our movie industry
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    CG is ruling the day, comic heroes are ruling the day,
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    Marvel, all those things are ruling the day.
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    But there's just something about love story, isn't it?
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    There's just something that draws us to it.
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    I like Iron Man, but I would rather
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    them spend more time on
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    Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow.
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    That sort of love thing there
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    is very fascinating for us.
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    What is it that we like a good love story?
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    I think what it is, is it's
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    the transcendent nature of God
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    that's put into stories
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    and we connect with that story.
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    Some people think that, well, these romantic comedies,
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    they're just they're setting up
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    unrealistic expectations for the relationship we have,
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    no relationship to be that lovey-dovey that long term.
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    Time Magazine a couple of years ago
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    said this about that dynamic. They said:
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    We need to live by stories
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    that help us deal with tough realities.
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    We all need hope in our lives.
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    And Hollywood trades on hope.
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    This is why movies are there, to make us feel,
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    to make us want, to make us connect with it.
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    Because we all need it. I know I do.
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    I've wrestled most of my life with wanting love,
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    needing love, and not feeling loved.
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    How much of that was due to me being adopted?
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    How much of that was due to always feeling
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    like I was on the outside of things,
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    I never could hit the tier that I wanted to?
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    How much of that was due to I felt like
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    I couldn't earn my parents love and approval
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    because I didn't have the grades
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    that them as valedictorians had.
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    How much of that was due to just my paranoia
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    that people are talking about me,
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    and thinking negatively about me
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    when when they're actually not?
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    Or maybe you are actually right now, maybe you are.
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    I wonder, do I -- How many choices do I make
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    in order to be approved by others
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    and feel some sort of love by others?
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    Some of us have walked out on God because
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    maybe we were part of a church
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    and we didn't feel any love in that church.
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    And so if God's connected with that church,
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    then I can't have anything to do with that.
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    What? What is love?
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    That's our problem.
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    We all have different ideas of what love is.
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    Some of our aspects of love are just very emotional
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    and subjective, but there is a form of love
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    that's very objective.
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    It's knowable in history and it's physical.
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    The Book of 1 John 3:16 says of Jesus:
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    This is how we know love,
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    that Jesus laid down His life for us.
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    I don't know how well acquainted you are with that story.
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    I want to fill you in a little bit with it today.
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    But that story is the basis of love.
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    That story is the basis of Easter.
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    It's why you and I are here today celebrating today.
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    I want to take a look at
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    the Book of Luke today in the Bible.
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    It's a story from the Holy Week of Jesus,
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    the last week of Jesus's life.
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    It's known as Holy Week, because a bunch of things
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    that took place on that week.
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    We're looking at today things that took place on Friday,
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    Friday when He was crucified and Sunday
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    when He was actually risen from the dead.
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    Now, later on in our service, we're going to have
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    a blowout time of worshiping and connecting with God
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    through song, standing and all that stuff.
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    I love doing that on Easter.
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    We're going to have that coming today.
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    It's going to be great, but it's going to be
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    really great if we understand the context
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    for why you would sing.
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    Why would you stand before a God
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    and actually say loving things to Him
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    and maybe sense His love?
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    I want to make sure we understand the picture
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    of what that is today.
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    Here's the scene where we are,
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    Jesus has been unjustly arrested.
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    He's been unjustly tried.
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    They broke all the rules in terms of
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    how the trial was supposed to go,
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    the number of witnesses that should have been there,
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    should have had the trial at night.
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    They break all of these things that are their own laws,
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    the Jews, their own laws, and they unjustly arrest Him
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    and they unjustly try Him, they unjustly convict Him.
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    Then they take Him out to be crucified.
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    Crucifixion is the most painful form of execution
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    that human beings have ever invented.
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    That's where the word excruciating comes from.
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    It's the worst there possibly is.
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    While He's then hanging on a cross,
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    here's where our story picks up, Luke 23:32:
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    Two others, who were criminals,
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    were led away to be put to death with Him.
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    And when they came to the place
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    that it's called The Skull,
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    there they crucified Him and the criminals,
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    one on His right and one on His left.
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    So He's got two other guys
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    who are being crucified with Him,
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    and these people are bad dudes. They're bad dudes.
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    I don't mean like they're bad. They're cool bad.
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    No, they're bad guys.
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    If you were to get crucified by the Romans,
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    they're trying to put you on display
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    and tell everybody, "Look at this person.
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    Don't be like them, because we all agree
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    these are awful people."
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    He's got two people on either side of Him.
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    Jesus was the only one who wasn't awful.
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    He was there because it was a frame job,
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    because the religious authorities
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    were threatened by Him.
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    They didn't love Jesus.
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    They didn't love the work of God.
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    They actually loved their own seat of power,
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    and Jesus was threatening that.
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    And Jesus is crucified on the side of either people
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    who are having major, major problems
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    and have had major problems.
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    Jesus at this point, He has been he's been beaten,
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    He's been spit upon, He's been clubbed,
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    He's had a crown of thick thorns woven
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    and jammed on his head to sort of mock Him and say,
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    "Oh, yeah, right. You're king of the Jew.
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    Sure, you're king of the Jews. Yeah.
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    We're going to mock that
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    by putting a crown on top of You."
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    They've doing everything they can to humiliate Him.
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    And while he's bleeding in a bloody pulp,
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    arms stretched open on a cross, look what He says:
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    "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
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    Forgive them, that's love right there.
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    You know you love somebody when you're willing
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    to forgive somebody
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    and they're not even asking for forgiveness.
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    Many of us, we don't grant forgiveness
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    unless someone does the exact right repentance exercise.
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    They cry, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
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    They cry. They get on their knees.
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    They say the right words.
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    They repay you back everything
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    that they took from you and interest.
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    They just don't understand that love doesn't wait
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    for all the right circumstances.
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    Love just gives. Love just is.
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    A person side of our community, his name is Owen,
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    who's come to understand love a little bit more
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    by being inside of our community.
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    Let's hear his story.
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    - I had a group of friends
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    and one of these people in that group of friends,
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    like, we got into a huge argument.
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    And so therefore this friend told all my other friends,
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    like, bad things about me, like lies, rumors.
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    And so that turned all those friends, like, against me.
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    Like, they didn't even, like, come to me
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    to ask me if any of it was true.
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    I felt abandoned.
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    I thought that I'd never be loved
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    like how I thought they loved me.
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    It destroyed my confidence.
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    Like, I didn't want to talk to anyone for, like,
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    for the longest time because I thought
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    I was a bad person.
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    I thought that no one would want to be my friend.
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    So I just kind of gave up.
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    So when I started to read the Bible more,
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    focus on Jesus, that brokenness, like, went away.
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    I stopped worrying about how others would think about me
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    and I just got closer to Jesus and then I felt healed.
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    There was this one particular day
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    where one of my friends came up to me
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    and she was, like, "You know, Hey,
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    they're starting a student ministry band,
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    and I think you're a pretty amazing drummer
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    and I think you should join it."
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    At the time, I thought that was a great idea
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    because all those friends left me
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    and I thought that this would be a good way
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    to get them to like me again.
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    So the first night of me drumming
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    at the high school service, a friend of mine
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    ended up texting me that night and she told me,
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    seeing me on stage, like, inspired her
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    to get closer to God.
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    That like, really like opened up my eyes.
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    Like, I was like, "What am I doing?
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    I'm trying to be up here to make friends
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    and I'm missing the whole point
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    of drumming at this church.
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    I can't be drumming here if I'm just
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    trying to do it to get people to like me."
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    After I started worshiping on stage more
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    and more and more, all those people
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    who turned against me actually came back to me
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    and said that they were sorry
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    and that they shouldn't have believed
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    all these things that this person said about me.
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    And that they've seen God in me
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    and that sharing God's story to them
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    through music means a lot to them.
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    So I experienced Jesus's love through worshiping,
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    like, in the moment.
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    I listen to the words and, like, I let it soak in
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    and, like, I can just feel God, like, all around me.
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    It's like He's giving me, like, a warm hug, you know?
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    That's how I feel God's love.
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    - Owen wants to feel loved.
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    I want to feel loved.
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    You want to feel loved.
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    And Jesus wants to feel loved as well.
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    And I'm not sure how much love He's feeling
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    while He's on a cross,
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    while people have abandoned Him
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    and they're hurting Him intentionally.
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    And yet He says, "Father, forgive them.
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    They know not what they do."
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    Forgiveness is love.
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    Now, here's a weird thing.
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    What does He mean when He says,
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    "For they know not what they do."
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    They knew what they were doing. Right?
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    If you're a Roman and you take a six inch spike
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    and a big wooden mallet
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    and you drive it through a person's wrist
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    or drive it through their feet,
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    you know what you're doing.
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    When you're part of the religious elite
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    and you trumped up charges and have an illegal trial,
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    you know what you're doing.
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    When you spit on somebody, when you club them,
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    when you jam a crown of thorns on their head,
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    you know what you're doing.
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    What does He mean, "They know not what they do"?
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    What He means is they don't understand
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    the spiritual context that's behind this.
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    They understand that you're trying to kill Him,
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    but they don't understand there's
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    a cosmic battle playing in the background,
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    and they're just pawns that are being played.
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    Because God has an arch enemy, his name is Satan
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    or Lucifer or the Devil or the evil one,
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    or whatever you want to refer to him as,
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    there's a bunch of different monikers
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    that are in the Bible for him.
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    And this evil entity, what he wants is
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    to separate you and I for the love of God.
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    That's what he wants.
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    He wants you and I to be totally distant.
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    And anything that God loves, he wants to crush that.
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    God, the Father, loves Jesus.
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    He wants to crush that.
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    And he knew not what he was doing.
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    The evil one didn't understand the spiritual stakes
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    that were here and all the pawns, the Romans,
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    the religious authorities, they didn't understand
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    that they were just being used.
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    They didn't see there was something bigger at play.
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    God loved Jesus, and the crushing of Him
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    played into His plan for love to be coming to you and I.
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    By this we know love,
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    that Jesus laid down His life for you and I
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    so that I don't have to ever lay down my life
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    for myself throughout all of eternity.
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    Because God is a just God
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    and the Justice is taken out on Jesus
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    and I never have to fear going before God
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    and wondering whether or not
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    He's going to give me a spanking.
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    He gave one spanking, Jesus took that spanking.
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    He was the one guy, out of love He took it for me.
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    See, the evil one is still trying
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    to divide people from God today, that's you and I.
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    It's not an accident that we don't feel God,
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    some of us don't feel God.
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    It's not an accident that we doubt that God loves us.
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    It's not an accident at all.
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    That's exactly the way the evil one wants it,
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    because he wants to break the love relationship
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    between you and God.
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    He wants you to be really uncertain about
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    whether or not you matter to God.
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    And if he can convince you of that,
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    make you feel and believe that you are alone,
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    so very, very alone, you'll be defeated
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    and actually spiritually destitute.
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    The whole cry of our hearts, the cry of our life,
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    the cry of every story in the Bible
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    comes to the idea of love.
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    It's the Bible that says God is love.
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    It's the Bible.
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    Every other iteration of that copied from the Bible.
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    Because it's in the Bible that we see
  • 00:19:28
    Jesus laying down His life.
  • 00:19:34
    The last week of Jesus life, when we look at it,
  • 00:19:36
    all these situations,
  • 00:19:38
    we see the test of love that's coming in.
  • 00:19:41
    Judas betraying Jesus because him
  • 00:19:44
    loving actually money and power
  • 00:19:46
    more than he actually loves the will of God.
  • 00:19:49
    We see another woman the last week of Jesus's life
  • 00:19:51
    coming and taking some very, very expensive perfume
  • 00:19:55
    and breaking the bottle and smearing it all over Jesus.
  • 00:20:00
    And people like Judas looked at this and were like,
  • 00:20:02
    "What are you doing? What are you doing?
  • 00:20:05
    This is very expensive stuff.
  • 00:20:07
    This could be used to to feed the poor."
  • 00:20:09
    He doesn't understand this woman's love for, like,
  • 00:20:11
    multiple years worth of perfume.
  • 00:20:15
    I did some research.
  • 00:20:16
    Do you know what the world's most expensive perfume is?
  • 00:20:20
    You won't believe the name.
  • 00:20:21
    The name of it is Shumukh. That's the name of it.
  • 00:20:25
    See, I know these things because
  • 00:20:26
    I buy these things for my wife
  • 00:20:28
    and I understand these things.
  • 00:20:31
    No. According to the Guinness Book of World Records,
  • 00:20:34
    $1.8 million for a bottle or some such thing.
  • 00:20:38
    Crazy, crazy, crazy.
  • 00:20:40
    It would be a love offering to pour that out on Jesus
  • 00:20:45
    and say, "I just love You.
  • 00:20:46
    I want to sacrifice for You,
  • 00:20:47
    just like you've loved me and sacrificed for me."
  • 00:20:52
    What we long for, our hearts want, is to be loved,
  • 00:20:57
    to have a connection with God.
  • 00:20:59
    And Jesus goes through all these things
  • 00:21:03
    the final week to connect us to God,
  • 00:21:07
    to restore or begin for the very first time
  • 00:21:10
    the love relationship that God has for you and for me.
  • 00:21:16
    Let's try to relive that last week.
  • 00:21:24
    - You have stepped into a sacred, supernatural story.
  • 00:21:28
    There was a beautiful plan for mankind
  • 00:21:31
    to live in relationship with a God who loved them.
  • 00:21:35
    But there was a Fall.
  • 00:21:36
    And after Adam, all would be born into death,
  • 00:21:40
    outside of the garden,
  • 00:21:42
    outside of relationship with the Maker.
  • 00:21:45
    It was a tragedy that would echo through time.
  • 00:21:49
    Now death ruled life.
  • 00:21:51
    But there was a promise made:
  • 00:21:54
    God would make everything new.
  • 00:21:57
    He promised that every part of our dead hearts
  • 00:22:00
    would come back to life.
  • 00:22:02
    Once His Son paid the price, once death was defeated,
  • 00:22:06
    the death working in us daily, in our hearts,
  • 00:22:10
    in our souls would be defeated also.
  • 00:22:15
    We would be made new here and now.
  • 00:22:18
    Resurrected.
  • 00:22:20
    This is an ancient story.
  • 00:22:23
    This is the story of the day. [heartbeat, beeping]
  • 00:22:51
    Jesus came into a world fraught with tension,
  • 00:22:55
    on the brink of revolution.
  • 00:22:57
    He claimed to be the Son of God,
  • 00:23:00
    the fulfillment of God's promise to defeat death,
  • 00:23:03
    the one who would save us.
  • 00:23:09
    His claim threaten the establishment
  • 00:23:12
    and enrage the leadership of His day.
  • 00:23:16
    They arrested Him and brought Him
  • 00:23:18
    before the Roman Governor Pilate.
  • 00:23:21
    He asked the crowd, "What shall I do then
  • 00:23:24
    with Jesus, who was called the Messiah?"
  • 00:23:27
    And the crowd screamed, "Crucify Him."
  • 00:23:31
    Pilate asked the crowd, "What crime is He committed?"
  • 00:23:34
    But the crowd just screamed louder, "Crucify Him."
  • 00:24:31
    Hanging on the Cross, a sacrifice for our sin,
  • 00:24:35
    Jesus cried out, "Father, forgive them,
  • 00:24:40
    for they do not know what they are doing."
  • 00:24:47
    And with His last breath,
  • 00:24:48
    He paid the price for every man's sin
  • 00:24:51
    and whispered, "It is finished."
  • 00:25:33
    Three days of darkness.
  • 00:25:35
    His followers were left wondering,
  • 00:25:37
    "How could this be love?"
  • 00:25:39
    It certainly wasn't the love they wanted.
  • 00:25:42
    They wanted love that looked like staying
  • 00:25:44
    and fighting the system.
  • 00:25:45
    Love that looked like rebellion and revolution.
  • 00:25:48
    Love that fought for physical freedom
  • 00:25:50
    from those that oppress them.
  • 00:25:52
    But love that laid down its life
  • 00:25:54
    for their spiritual freedom?
  • 00:25:55
    Love that had the long game in its sights?
  • 00:25:58
    Love that wasn't about immediate satisfaction
  • 00:26:00
    or the lifting of current pain
  • 00:26:02
    didn't make any sense to them.
  • 00:26:05
    It felt like love had lost.
  • 00:26:10
    [music: Is He Worthy? by Chris Tomlin]
  • 00:26:20
    Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
  • 00:26:26
    Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
  • 00:26:32
    But do you know that all the dark
  • 00:26:35
    will stop light from getting through? (We do)
  • 00:26:41
    Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
  • 00:26:54
    Is all creation groaning? (It is)
  • 00:27:00
    Is a new creation coming? (It is)
  • 00:27:07
    It's the glory of the Lord
  • 00:27:09
    to be the light within our midst? (It is)
  • 00:27:16
    Is good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
  • 00:27:25
    Is anyone worthy?
  • 00:27:29
    Is anyone whole?
  • 00:27:31
    Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
  • 00:27:38
    The Lion of Judah, who conquered the grave
  • 00:27:44
    He's David's root
  • 00:27:45
    and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.
  • 00:27:50
    Is He worthy?
  • 00:27:53
    Is He worthy of our blessing and honor and glory?
  • 00:28:00
    Is He worthy of this?
  • 00:28:07
    He is.
  • 00:28:12
    Yes, He is, yes, He is.
  • 00:28:19
    Does our Father truly love us? (He does)
  • 00:28:25
    Does the spirit move among us? (He does)
  • 00:28:32
    And does Jesus, our Messiah,
  • 00:28:35
    hold forever those He loves? (He does)
  • 00:28:40
    Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
  • 00:28:50
    Oh, is anyone worthy?
  • 00:28:53
    Is anyone whole?
  • 00:28:57
    Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
  • 00:29:02
    Lion of Judah who conquered the grave,
  • 00:29:08
    He was David's root
  • 00:29:10
    and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.
  • 00:29:13
    From every people and tribe,
  • 00:29:17
    every nation (every nation and tongue)
  • 00:29:20
    Oh, He has made us a kingdom
  • 00:29:23
    and priests to God to reign with the Son.
  • 00:29:26
    Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy
  • 00:29:30
    Is He worthy of our blessing and honor and glory?
  • 00:29:38
    Is He worthy of this?
  • 00:29:47
    He is, He is, He is.
  • 00:29:52
    Yes, He is. He is.
  • 00:29:56
    He is worthy. He is.
  • 00:29:59
    Yes, He is. He is. He is.
  • 00:30:03
    He is. He is worthy. He is.
  • 00:30:08
    He's worthy forever. He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:14
    He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:17
    He's worthy forever. He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:20
    He's worthy forever. He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:23
    He's worthy forever. He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:27
    He's worthy forever. He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:32
    He's worthy forever.
  • 00:30:33
    He's worthy forever. And there's nothing better.
  • 00:30:37
    And there's nothing better. And there's nothing better.
  • 00:30:42
    And there's nothing better. And there's no one better.
  • 00:30:45
    And there's no one better. And there's no one better.
  • 00:30:48
    And there's no one better. And there's nothing better.
  • 00:30:51
    And there's nothing better. And there's nothing better.
  • 00:30:55
    And there's nothing better. And there's no one better.
  • 00:31:01
    Is He worthy, is He worthy
  • 00:31:07
    of our blessing and honor and glory?
  • 00:31:12
    Is He worthy of this?
  • 00:31:22
    He is.
  • 00:31:31
    - On the third day,
  • 00:31:32
    love delivered on His promise to conquer death.
  • 00:32:32
    [music: RATTLE! (Morning & Evening), Elevation Worship]
  • 00:36:04
    -People are gathered all over the world,
  • 00:36:07
    in every corner of the globe today,
  • 00:36:08
    gathered today because the most powerful name
  • 00:36:10
    that's ever been, the most loving name
  • 00:36:12
    that's ever been has been Jesus.
  • 00:36:14
    And what He did was He literally, physically
  • 00:36:17
    and historically came back from the dead.
  • 00:36:20
    And people didn't believe, you might not believe.
  • 00:36:23
    People back then didn't believe.
  • 00:36:25
    Two women were the first people to find Him.
  • 00:36:28
    Talk about rules of court, in rules of court
  • 00:36:30
    Women couldn't give testimony,
  • 00:36:32
    but the Bible's recording history because
  • 00:36:33
    they're the first ones to give testimony,
  • 00:36:35
    and say, "I saw it, the dead bones are rattling.
  • 00:36:38
    The dead bones are rattling, He's out.
  • 00:36:39
    I don't know where He is."
  • 00:36:41
    Thomas. Thomas, we know him as Doubting Thomas,
  • 00:36:44
    he said, "No way. I don't believe it.
  • 00:36:45
    I wouldn't believe it until I can stick my hands
  • 00:36:48
    into the wounds of His side, through his wrists.
  • 00:36:51
    I don't believe it."
  • 00:36:52
    "Well, here it is.
  • 00:36:53
    It's the sound of dead bones rattling, Thomas."
  • 00:36:57
    Jesus shows up, "Here I am."
  • 00:36:58
    What would it sound like if you started the rattle?
  • 00:37:01
    If you came in here just out of obligation, it's Easter.
  • 00:37:04
    If you came in here just because, "Well.
  • 00:37:06
    I could use something to give me a pick up"
  • 00:37:09
    but you actually had your bones rattling?
  • 00:37:12
    Open it up. Open up. Come on. Let's do it again.
  • 00:37:16
    Come on let's do it.
  • 00:37:19
    I want some dead bones rattling in here.
  • 00:37:20
    [music: RATTLE! (Morning & Evening), Elevation Worship]
  • 00:37:49
    - Let me give you this end part of the story
  • 00:37:51
    while we're here, when Jesus is on the Cross,
  • 00:37:54
    He's got people on either side of them.
  • 00:37:56
    They're going to be dry bones at any moment.
  • 00:37:59
    At any moment they're going to be gone.
  • 00:38:01
    Here's what happens in verse 39:
  • 00:38:02
    One of the criminals who were hanged
  • 00:38:05
    railed at Him saying, "Are You not the Christ?
  • 00:38:07
    Save Yourself and us."
  • 00:38:09
    But the other rebuked him saying, "Do you not--
  • 00:38:12
    Do you not fear God since you are
  • 00:38:15
    under the same sentence of condemnation?
  • 00:38:18
    Do you not fear God?"
  • 00:38:20
    And the guy turns and he looks to Jesus.
  • 00:38:23
    He says, "Hey, Jesus, remember me
  • 00:38:25
    when you come into your kingdom. Remember me."
  • 00:38:28
    Maybe this guy was there at the Sermon on the Mount
  • 00:38:32
    and he heard Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount.
  • 00:38:34
    Maybe he did something awful later on
  • 00:38:36
    that caused him to get crucified.
  • 00:38:38
    Or maybe he was on the run from the law
  • 00:38:40
    and he did something awful
  • 00:38:41
    and he was at the Sermon on the Mount.
  • 00:38:43
    Or maybe he saw one of the miracles Jesus did,
  • 00:38:45
    one of the ways that He loved people. He saw it.
  • 00:38:48
    All I know is you're of a spiritual kingdom,
  • 00:38:52
    a spiritual reality that's not this Roman kingdom.
  • 00:38:55
    And he looked up and said, "When you remember me,
  • 00:38:57
    will you remember me?"
  • 00:38:59
    Jesus says to him this, verse 42:
  • 00:39:03
    And he said to him, "Truly, I said to you
  • 00:39:06
    today you'll be with Me in paradise."
  • 00:39:08
    Today you'll be with Me in paradise.
  • 00:39:10
    Today we will be. Today.
  • 00:39:13
    Today dry bones are rattling.
  • 00:39:15
    They're going to be rattling.
  • 00:39:17
    But today you're going to be with Me in paradise.
  • 00:39:19
    There wasn't any, like,
  • 00:39:21
    first you have to believe these five things.
  • 00:39:22
    First you have to believe in all of this stuff.
  • 00:39:24
    First you have to get baptized.
  • 00:39:26
    First you have to go to new members class.
  • 00:39:27
    No, today, today.
  • 00:39:28
    I don't know where you are with God
  • 00:39:30
    before you came in here, but today, today,
  • 00:39:33
    today your bones can rattle.
  • 00:39:35
    Today, the power of
  • 00:39:36
    the resurrection can come to you.
  • 00:39:39
    We're drawn to pastels and flowers
  • 00:39:41
    and all that kind of stuff during springtime,
  • 00:39:44
    because I believe the spiritual reality is
  • 00:39:46
    some of us were in the dark, dead of winter.
  • 00:39:49
    And maybe you came in here and something started to bud.
  • 00:39:52
    Your dead bones are starting to rattle.
  • 00:39:54
    I hear the sound. I hear the sound.
  • 00:39:56
    Justin, you hear the sound? Band, I hear it.
  • 00:39:58
    I hear something.
  • 00:39:59
    I hear the sounds of dead bones rattling right now.
  • 00:40:01
    Come on. Let's open them up. Do it again.
  • 00:40:03
    [music: RATTLE! (Morning & Evening), Elevation Worship]
  • 00:40:54
    - Today, today you can be with Him in paradise.
  • 00:40:57
    Today you can feel the love of God.
  • 00:40:58
    Today you can be in the love of God,
  • 00:41:00
    whether you feel or not.
  • 00:41:01
    Today you can be equipped for tomorrow.
  • 00:41:03
    Today, a new level of paradise can happen for you.
  • 00:41:07
    But you must do what this guy has done,
  • 00:41:09
    he's looked to Jesus and said, "Remember me?"
  • 00:41:13
    It wasn't a specific prayer,
  • 00:41:15
    but I can lead you through a prayer
  • 00:41:16
    if you want to give your life to Christ
  • 00:41:18
    for the very first time right now.
  • 00:41:20
    The important thing isn't the exact words,
  • 00:41:22
    it's the inclination of a heart of love
  • 00:41:24
    that you have for God to just say to Him,
  • 00:41:26
    as broken is my heart is
  • 00:41:28
    and as ill formed as my heart is
  • 00:41:30
    and as unfeeling as my heart may be sometimes,
  • 00:41:32
    I feel enough right now that I want to be
  • 00:41:35
    closer to You and Your love.
  • 00:41:36
    I want to give my life for You.
  • 00:41:37
    You can just say something like this.
  • 00:41:39
    Repeat after me if you want.
  • 00:41:40
    Jesus, I want Your love.
  • 00:41:44
    I ask You forgive me for my sin.
  • 00:41:48
    I give You my life right now.
  • 00:41:52
    Would You fill me, please, with Your Holy Spirit?
  • 00:41:57
    I will walk with You in a relationship
  • 00:42:00
    for the rest of my life. In Your name I pray, Amen.
  • 00:42:07
    Man hey, welcome to the greatest family
  • 00:42:10
    that has ever been, the family of God.
  • 00:42:12
    God's done a great thing this Easter,
  • 00:42:15
    He's doing a great thing in you right now.
  • 00:42:17
    He's worthy of singing to. Let's do that.
  • 00:43:36
    Come on, let's believe this part.
  • 00:46:20
    - When you walked in the Crossroads
  • 00:46:22
    you got something to celebrate communion with.
  • 00:46:25
    If you're at home with us, in a coffee shop,
  • 00:46:26
    in a bar, wherever you are, just get --
  • 00:46:29
    go ahead and get yourself something to eat
  • 00:46:31
    and something to drink.
  • 00:46:32
    God will understand the inclination of your heart.
  • 00:46:35
    People have been celebrating this
  • 00:46:39
    since Jesus left the earth.
  • 00:46:40
    He told us when we gather together to do this.
  • 00:46:44
    If you've given your life to Christ,
  • 00:46:46
    this signifies when you bring Jesus into your life,
  • 00:46:50
    you're remembering that by bringing
  • 00:46:52
    these elements into your body again,
  • 00:46:55
    and you're remembering just how He took His body,
  • 00:46:58
    which is the little wafer on top,
  • 00:47:00
    or the bread or the cracker wherever you are,
  • 00:47:01
    and He broke it.
  • 00:47:04
    He broke it and said, "I love you so much
  • 00:47:07
    that I'm going to break my body for you."
  • 00:47:10
    The love of God seen in the breaking of bread
  • 00:47:13
    and the nailing of Jesus on the Cross,
  • 00:47:15
    done for you out of love. Take and eat.
  • 00:47:21
    You can peel back the top
  • 00:47:22
    if you're inside of a Crossroads building right now
  • 00:47:25
    for where the juice is.
  • 00:47:26
    Or take whatever liquid you have, wherever you are.
  • 00:47:31
    This blood signifies the love of Jesus
  • 00:47:34
    that spilled blood on our behalf.
  • 00:47:36
    His own blood trickled down His face,
  • 00:47:39
    trickled down His back,
  • 00:47:42
    pooled on the ground of where the Cross was.
  • 00:47:45
    It's a sign of His love for us.
  • 00:47:48
    It's a sign of a covenant that He makes with us,
  • 00:47:51
    a covenant of love
  • 00:47:52
    and relationship for all of eternity.
  • 00:47:55
    This cup isn't for those who are perfect.
  • 00:47:58
    This cup is for those who are forgiven.
  • 00:48:01
    This cup isn't for those who are perfect.
  • 00:48:03
    This cup is for those who are loved.
  • 00:48:06
    That is you and that's I.
  • 00:48:08
    The blood of Christ.
  • 00:48:09
    Take and drink.
  • 00:55:39
    - If you made the choice today to step towards
  • 00:55:42
    the ultimate, the greatest love ever,
  • 00:55:45
    I want you to go to Crossroads.net right now.
  • 00:55:47
    Someone is waiting to chat with you.
  • 00:55:48
    - And if you're a giver, I just want to say thank you.
  • 00:55:51
    You make all of this possible.
  • 00:55:52
    If you want to join in on the giving,
  • 00:55:54
    go to Crossroads.net/give.
  • 00:55:56
    You are empowering this message
  • 00:55:57
    and what's coming in the future, like Mother's Day.
  • 00:55:59
    - That's right.
  • 00:56:00
    - Where we're going to give your mom a horse.
  • 00:56:02
    It's going to be amazing, right?
  • 00:56:03
    - Not exactly, but it is, I mean, kind of sort of close.
  • 00:56:06
    Anyway, there's an epic surprise that we don't want you to miss
  • 00:56:09
    and we want you to come back
  • 00:56:10
    in a couple of weeks for it.
  • 00:56:11
    - And speaking of Epic, we're doing something
  • 00:56:13
    as a community that I think is epic
  • 00:56:14
    to thank our educators.
  • 00:56:16
    If you'd like to join in, we'd love you to.
  • 00:56:17
    You can check this out.
  • 00:56:19
    Thanks for being with us.
  • 00:56:21
    - Over the past two years of the pandemic,
  • 00:56:23
    more than half of all educators
  • 00:56:25
    have considered quitting their jobs.
  • 00:56:29
    Yet they've responded to these challenging times
  • 00:56:31
    in many courageous ways.
  • 00:56:33
    And despite uncertainty, exhaustion and discouragement,
  • 00:56:37
    they've continued to provide safe
  • 00:56:38
    and encouraging learning environments
  • 00:56:40
    for their students,
  • 00:56:41
    impacting the lives of thousands in the next generation.
  • 00:56:45
    We see you. We applaud you.
  • 00:56:48
    We are grateful for you.
  • 00:56:56
    Join us this spring when for one week
  • 00:56:58
    we'll pack ourselves a brown bag lunch every day
  • 00:57:01
    and give the money we save from not eating out
  • 00:57:04
    straight to hard-working educators.
  • 00:57:09
    That same week, we'll be using an app
  • 00:57:11
    designed to guide us on an epic adventure
  • 00:57:13
    to encourage all the hard-working people
  • 00:57:15
    continuing to serve in our schools.
  • 00:57:18
    Along with packing our lunches,
  • 00:57:20
    we'll be doing other fun and practical activities
  • 00:57:23
    to surprise and delight our educators.
  • 00:57:26
    - Mrs. Woo, thank you for teaching me
  • 00:57:28
    how to be a leader. This is for you.
  • 00:57:31
    - Principal Tommasini, your commitment
  • 00:57:33
    to the students of our school still inspires me today.
  • 00:57:36
    This is for you.
  • 00:57:37
    - Ms. Dillon, this is for you.
  • 00:57:39
    - Joe, thanks for keeping us safe at school.
  • 00:57:42
    This is for you.
  • 00:57:43
    - Mr. Loiseau, thank you for encouraging me
  • 00:57:45
    to take risks in theater class. This is for you.
  • 00:57:49
    - This is for you.
  • 00:57:51
    - This is for you.
  • 00:57:52
    - This is for you.
  • 00:57:53
    - This is for you.
  • 00:57:55
    - Join us in celebrating and blessing
  • 00:57:57
    the educators in your life.
  • 00:57:59
    Go to Crossroads.net/educators for more info.
  • 00:58:04
    - This is for you.

Process, journal or discuss the themes of this article - here's a few questions to get the ball rolling...

Welcome to the Weekend-Follow-Up This is the group part of the Bible Challenge, so your questions are based on specific Bible passages from the weekend message. Each week, your group will discover what God might be saying to you, and how you can respond through a group discussion.

  1. What’s better: A good rom-com or a good love song? Share your favorite with the group.

  2. What stood out to you most from the message?

  3. Describe a time that you felt most loved. What about that time made it meaningful to you? How might it have impacted your life going forward?

  4. Why is it sometimes hard to receive God’s love?

  5. Read John 15:13. Jesus dying on the cross was the ultimate act of love. What’s one way you can receive that love more this week? (Some examples could be: thanking Him each day for his love, saying yes to a relationship with Jesus, receiving forgiveness, etc.)

  6. Let’s end with a prayer. You can say something like, “Father, thank you for sending us your Son, not only to save us but to show us what true love looks like. We pray for more of that love in our lives. Amen.”

More from the Weekend

Bonus Questions! Check these out if you’re on a roll and want to go a little deeper.

  • One of the last things Jesus said on the cross is “It is finished.” What does this mean for you personally?
  • Grace is a gift we don’t deserve — we can’t earn it, and it’s despite our flaws. Where have you seen God’s grace in your life?
  • How does Jesus’ resurrection affect how you live or how you see the world?
  • What is one area you need Jesus to bring new life to? After each person shares, someone else in the group can pray for them.

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(This stuff helps us figure out how many fruitcakes to make come December)

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Got it! Enjoy your discussion.


Apr 16, 2022 58 mins 8 sec

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