08 Apr A Note from our Pastor – April 2018

What If?
What if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? What if the tomb was never really empty?
What if the bones of Jesus are buried somewhere, someplace, at sometime?

Then…
– Matthew and John lied to us. Mark and Luke were deceived or knowingly lied
as well.
– Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women with them
all went to the wrong tomb and saw it empty, and they all became frightened for no
good reason and bowed down to imaginary angels dressed in dazzling white
clothes.
– Peter and John only thought they saw the tomb of Jesus empty, or they lied about it.
– Paul was a fool. He gave up his promising career as a leader among the Pharisees
over a delusional vision he had on a road. He was stoned, beaten with rods
three times, whipped with 39 lashes 5 times, shipwrecked three times, imprisoned,
and was put to death over a hallucination.
– All 12 disciples died for a lie.
– The crowd of over 500 who saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion were all victims of a
mass illusion.
– Christianity is a false religion. Anyone who claims to be a Christian believing in a risen
Jesus, their faith is futile and wishful thinking.
– Going to church is a waste of a good morning. You can get better donuts and coffee
somewhere else.
– Being a member of a church is really just being a part of a social club.
– Loving your neighbor is overrated, unless it is in your best interest.
– This life is as good as it will ever get.
– You will die in your sins.

But If
But if Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again as the Scriptures have written, as
Christians have testified and
gave their lives for, and as historians have confirmed, then…
– His words are truth.
– His death was not in vain – your sins are forgiven
– His resurrection was victorious – your death is defeated
– His life is your life – you can live with real and certain hope.
– Jesus’ death and resurrection is God’s clear and certain way of showing you that He
loves you.
– You can live secure in God’s unfailing and never-ending love for you.
– You are free to love your neighbor.
– Church is where God meets you to care for you, where Jesus is present for you as the
Lamb of God, where the Holy Spirit delivers the gifts of forgiveness, life, and
salvation that Jesus has won for you through his death and resurrection.

My dear friends, Jesus’ death and resurrection make all the difference…for you. Christ
is risen! He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!
Pastor Sheek