Sunday, April 4, 2021 AM

Christ is risen! Amen, amen, and amen.

Well, welcome to Sunnyside Baptist Church here on a beautiful Easter morning. We're glad that you can join us.

It's been a little while since we've done this on Easter morning, so it's good to be back together again.

We're going to get started with a few announcements this morning. Because it's Easter, no evening service tonight, so spend some time with your family and friends.

Wednesday, we have dinner here at the church, and then at 630, prayer time, but there will not be tag this week for the kids.

Prayer time and Bible study for the adults, but no tag for the kids this week. And then looking ahead,

Saturday, April 24th, here at the church, we're gonna have a brief workday from 8 to 1030 in the morning.

More details coming on that in the future. This week's fighter verse is from the book of James, James chapter 1 verses 2 and 3.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Next Sunday night, in the evening service, Michael's gonna have a little Q &A session for us.

So if there are any, it's kind of an open topic, if there's any questions that you would like to have answered or addressed, feel free to email those to him.

His email address is in your bulletin. Also coming up on April 17th, on Saturday from 2 p .m.

to 4 p .m., there's a wedding shower for Hannah Horner and Daryl Hamilton here at the church.

They're registered, and that's in information's in the bulletin as well. Operation Christmas Child is continuing.

April's donation requests for yo -yos, jump ropes, and small puzzle sets.

There's some, still some needs for some tag donations for some crafts that they need to do, and a few needs still in the nursery during the summertime programs that we have going on at church.

All right, any other announcements before we get started with worship this morning? We are gonna have a time of quiet prayer and preparation.

Dwight will then lead us in prayer, and then immediately after that we're gonna have a few baptisms this morning.

Father, we have come together to celebrate the resurrection of your

Son, the Lord Jesus, our Savior, the one who loved us and gave his life for us.

Help us to celebrate in spirit and in truth. May we experience the joy in the

Holy Spirit as we celebrate. Father, we have every reason to celebrate what you've done for us through your

Son, the Lord Jesus. Help us to sing your praises, to give you the sacrifices of thanksgiving for all that you've done through your

Son, the Lord Jesus. And Father, I thank you for these that are being baptized this morning.

What a blessing it is. Help us to be faithful to pray for them, that they might continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of your

Son, the Lord Jesus. Focus our eyes this morning on your

Son, the Lord Jesus. Help us to put aside the distractions of this world and keep our eyes on your

Son, the Lord Jesus. And when we leave this place, may we be faithful witnesses for your

Son. In his name I pray, amen. Well, it's my joy this morning to baptize three of my children.

We have been rejoicing in God's work of grace in the life of Sophia and Abigail and Emmett for quite some time now, and especially with our sweet Sophia and all of the struggles and things when she's really been learning to trust in the

Lord and to cry out to the Father and trust in Christ. So it's my joy to baptize

Sophia this morning. Sophie, you are my daughter, but you are also my sister in Christ.

I'm glad that you want to declare your faith and trust in Jesus today for all to see.

So, in the name of the Father and of the

Son and the Holy Spirit, I baptize you my sister. Buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.

Our little Abigail is very much a believer in Jesus Christ, trusting in him for the forgiveness of her sins and her hope of resurrection, and it's been a joy to see her grow in Christ, and it's my joy to baptize her today.

So, Abigail, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the

Holy Spirit. Buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.

Emmett is an incredibly serious young man about some things, and one of those things is about his faith in Christ, and he's very conscious of who

Jesus Christ is and how he has been saved, and calls upon the name of the Lord very often in his prayers, very thankful.

Every time we ask what he's thankful for, he's thankful for Jesus, his death upon the cross, and his forgiveness of sins.

So, Emmett, my brother in Christ, I baptize you now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the

Holy Spirit. Buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.

Nathan, we are so proud of you and happy in your decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

So, because of your profession of faith and your desire to walk in obedience and baptism, it is my great joy and honor to baptize you in the name of the

Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah.

Wonderful. On this Easter resurrection morning, would you stand with me for our call to worship? Our passage this morning is found on Psalms chapter 61.

We'll be reading verses 5 through 8. Read with me together. For you,

O God, have heard my vows. You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Prolong the life of the King. May his years endure to all generations.

May he be enthroned forever before God. Appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him.

So will I ever sing praises to your name as I perform my vows day after day.

Our first song this morning is the Resurrection Hymn. It's in your little black hymnals,

Hymns Modern and Ancient. I think it was 105. Jerusalem, born of the grave, is to you of light.

As the angels announce, Christ is risen. Seek God's salvation sacrifice.

Fulfill him, Christ, amen. For he lives.

Christ is risen from the dead.

Stirring hope, bringing peace to us.

Listen to the immunity. Honor him, bless him.

Glory and praise to him, praise him.

Christ is born, life is won, Christ is conquered.

And we shall reign with him for ever.

Hallelujah. Good morning.

Scripture reading this morning will be in 1 John chapter 2, starting in verse 18, reading through verse 29, the end of the chapter.

1 John chapter 2, beginning in verse 18. Little children, it is the last hour.

And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.

But they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is

Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the

Son does not have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Therefore, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the

Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us, eternal life.

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you.

But as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it is taught you, you will abide in Him.

And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

This is the Word of God. Would you pray with me? O Heavenly Father, Lord God, we thank you for this day, the day of resurrection of our

Lord and our God, Jesus Christ. We thank you for the promise in Him, eternal life.

We thank you for the forgiveness that He brings, Father. We thank you for the hope and the surety of being held in Him by your grace and by your mercy forever and ever, not by our own strength, our own works, but by your grace we are held in Christ.

Thank you for drawing near to us, for sending your love upon us when we were very much unworthy.

Thank you for loving us while we were yet sinners, and thank you for changing us from the inside out.

And it's in Christ's name we pray, amen. You may be seated.

Continuing with our song service, we have a trio of songs to sing about our risen

Lord. So if you would turn to, before we sing those songs though, we're going to have some reading.

So if you would turn to page 214 in your blue hymnals, and we'll read all this together.

Page 214. Read with me. In the end of the

Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary and the other

Mary to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the

Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the keepers did shake and became as dead men.

And the angel answered and said unto the woman, fear not ye, for I know that ye seek

Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said.

He is not here. He has risen. Alleluia. Sing. Page 215.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Alleluia. 216.

Christ rose.

Loves me. So be now where Christ has been.

Alleluia. Best day of the year.

Absolute, no question about it. Best day of the year. Please open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians chapter 15. The title of the sermon this morning is Not in Vain.

Not in Vain. We pray for us. Father, I thank you for gathering us together on this day, and we give you glory and we give you praise for your

Son, Jesus Christ. We thank you that you have given him to us as our Savior and as our

Sovereign, as our Redeemer, that you have raised him to reign over us, and we give him glory this day.

I thank you for hearing our prayers and receiving our worship and being delighted in our obedience, all for the sake of your

Son, Jesus Christ, the one with whom you are well pleased. It is in his name that we pray all this.

Amen. The last day is at hand.

My calendar has run out. I know nothing more in my

Bible. Quote number one.

Quote number two. Of all the signs described by our

Lord, as presaging the end of the world, some we see already accomplished.

For now we see that nation rises against nation, that they press and weigh upon the land in our times as never before.

Earthquakes overwhelm countless cities. Pestilence we endure without interruption.

Quote number two. Quote number three. What terrible wars, both foreign and domestic, what pestilences, famines, and quakings of the earth.

First quote was Martin Luther, 1532. Second quote, Gregory, 6th century.

Third quote, Tertullian, 2nd century. You thought it was yesterday, didn't you?

You thought it was 2020. Yeah, I know you did. Sounds like today, huh?

The world, the church, the gospel, this is just God's Vietnam, right?

Failed enterprise, badly planned out. What are we?

We're just waiting out in Saigon for the last Huey to get us out. Is that the perspective of the believers in the

Word of God? I'm going to read one verse for you.

I'll read the others later. Verse 58, 1

Corinthians 15. Stand with me. I want you to hear this verse to stand in honor of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And let's hear what he has to say.

Verse 58, 1 Corinthians 15. This is our verse for today.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Praise be to God. You may be seated. Christ is risen, and so my preaching is not in vain, and your faith is not in vain.

Christ arose the third day, and nothing has been the same since. Any way you cut it, the curse, sin, death, and the devil have been on the retreat before our reigning and victorious

Savior. And the present bombardment, though troubling, is desperate cover fire, and shall only serve to rally the saints to the standard of our

Savior. He will win the day, and he will win every day to the last day, and he'll win that too.

And so my shell -shocked brothers and sisters, slogging through the mud and the trenches of our present trouble, today is a day of hope.

This time is a time of hope, for we live in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2021.

This is his year. This is his world. These are his days. We live in hope. Because Christ is risen, we must take the trouble to hope.

So many can't be bothered to hope anymore, but because Christ is risen, let us take the trouble to hope.

Let us, first of all, believe our hope that is made clear, our hope made clear.

There were a lot of discouraging problems, and there were many reports of woe in Corinth.

They did not live in an easy place. They did not have an easy culture in which to preach the gospel.

They did not live in easy times in terms of the sociopolitical global issues.

Lots of discouraging problems, many reports of woe in Corinth. Their labor, however, was not in vain.

Why? Because of Christ risen from the dead. So let's begin with what we know.

Let's begin with what we know. Not with what others know. Not with what others are so dead certain, 100 % convinced about doom and gloom.

But let's start with what we know that God has revealed. What he has caused us to know through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What is it that we know? We think we know our trouble, but I don't know if we do.

Paul's choice of word here. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your labor, see the word labor, is not in vain in the Lord. This word sometimes just gets translated trouble in other verses.

Sometimes, and it's a great translation for the word, it's just trouble. But it's also labor.

It's the kind of bruising labor, trouble -filled toil.

They had a lot of trouble in Corinth, and we've got a lot of trouble now. In Corinth, they had division, they had immorality, they had unwarranted intrusion by the civil government, they had bad doctrine, they had idolatry, and they had a lack of proper decorum and proper order in their worship services, and they had despair.

Well, the church of today has all that too. I'm sorry to break it to you, we're not special.

We're not unique. They had trouble, we have trouble.

And they had labor to do, and we have labor to do. There is the labor, I think, first of all, of prayer.

This is a neglected labor in our time. You know, at the beginning of a life, there's little else a child can do but cry.

All the baby can do is cry. And as we think about it, at the end of the life of a saint, all that's left for us to do is to pray.

This is the most basic labor that we have, is to pray. And let us be engaged in the labor of prayer.

Let us take the trouble to pray. There is the labor of prayer, there's a labor of evangelism, of confronting people in their sins and calling them to trust in Jesus Christ as the only

Savior of the world. There is the labor of making disciples, of telling people, and indeed

Jesus said, to teach the nations what He has commanded and to obey.

Discipleship. There is the labor of making disciples. There's the labor of preaching and teaching. There is the labor of gathering together as the saints to worship together and encourage one another.

There is the labor of the household. The labor of managing our households and raising up children and husbands and wives, loving one another.

The labor in our neighborhoods. The labor in our communities. There is labor all around. Our labor is simply this, taking up everything that belongs to Christ as stewards of God and then turning it to the advantage and the fame of Christ.

That is our labor. And you say, well, what is it that belongs to Jesus? Everything. The Bible is relentless with this word that everything is from Christ and through Christ and for Christ.

He is the heir of all things, we are told. All authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth.

So we take up everything that is Christ's, that we are stewards of, and we turn it to His advantage, to His fame.

That's our labor. Why would we take the trouble? It's the word here.

Your trouble is not pointless. Taking the trouble is not pointless in the

Lord. Your labor is not vain in the Lord. Why would we? Boy, you sure go to a lot of trouble to love your children, to raise them.

That's a lot of trouble trying to disciple someone, trying to counsel them with the word of God. You sure go to a lot of trouble to try to find ways to evangelize the lost.

We sure go to a lot of trouble to gather together in one place and rejoice in fellowship with one another as a family in Christ.

Boy, we go to a lot of trouble. Why do we take the trouble? Because of our triumph. Because of our triumph, our labor is not in vain.

I mean, all the trouble we go to in loving and reconciling and proclaiming and praising and loving spouses and raising kids and doing righteousness and speaking truth, it is all not in vain.

Now many, even some in the name of Jesus, would say that all such taking the trouble is pointless, empty, fruitless, ineffective, devoid of truth.

I mean, haven't you seen the news? I mean, how can you get around the news?

It's the news. You can't argue with the news. The news is the news.

And the news says that we are no longer in a society where labor for Christ will succeed.

The news says it's pointless. However, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our faith is neither futile nor is our struggle filled obedience in vain.

Christ is risen, so we in that hope take the trouble. We take the trouble and we take it gladly.

This is what we know. Well, how do we know it? How do we know Jesus rose from the dead?

And how do we know that therefore our labor is not in vain? How do we know this? And we just insist on it enough, say it over and over out loud enough until it becomes true.

We are not irrationally defiant like some fool atheist, and we are not devotedly insane like some cross -dressing pronoun hawk.

Our hope is not fide currency. It is solid gold.

You can't ignore it. Our labor is not in vain. Why? Let's consider the light of Christ's victory and the love of Christ's community here in our text.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Therefore, based upon what? Based upon what

Paul has been writing about all through chapter 15, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, our labor is not in vain. Why? Because of the effects of Christ's reign.

Verse 54 through 57, just the previous verses, so when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, the resurrection, the resurrection of the dead, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

Verse 55, O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin.

The strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain. Consider also our participation in Christ's preeminence.

Verse 20 of chapter 15, backing up a little bit more, but now, listen,

Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Catch that. Everybody in Adam dies, but everybody in Christ will be raised to eternal life. But each one in his own order,

Christ the first fruits afterward, those who are Christ's at his coming. Well, Christ has been risen from the dead.

That's the first fruits of the harvest. So we're next, those who are in Christ. As surely as Christ rose from the dead, so we're going to be raised from the dead.

Verse 24, then comes the end. When he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for he must reign till when?

Till he has put all enemies under his feet. And the last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Therefore, therefore, be steadfast, immovable. Therefore, your labor is not in vain.

Because Christ is risen, and he's reigning, and he's winning, and he will win. Therefore, take the trouble.

Your labor is not in vain. Not only the effects of Christ's reign, but also the evidence of his resurrection.

The evidence of his resurrection, verses 5 through 8 of chapter 15. And this is important because in our verse, verse 58, it says, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the

Lord. And that word knowing, and there's about three or four words in the Greek for knowing. This one is the one you know because you saw it.

To know through sight. To know through sight.

Verse 5. Well, verse 4.

And then he was buried, and he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained in the present, but some have fallen asleep.

After that, he was seen by James, and then by all the apostles. Then last of all, he was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

You see? He rose from the dead, and everybody saw it. Undeniable.

Paul's writing in a moment where anybody could go and check. The firsthand eyewitnesses.

He knows, and everybody else knows that Jesus rose from the dead. It is undeniable. Point of fact.

And so, this is how we know. This is how we know. Because of the evidence of his resurrection.

And we are not to be... Our currency is not one that can be destabilized by wars, and rumors of wars, and disasters, and tyrannies, and fears of men, and fears of death.

Christ rose from the dead. It's indisputable. And therefore, he's reigning, and he's winning, and he will win.

Therefore. Therefore, be steadfast, be immovable, abound in the work of the

Lord. Not only do we know this in the light of Christ's victory, we also know it in the love of Christ's community.

Look how Paul writes to the church in Corinth. He says, therefore, my beloved brethren.

My beloved brethren. Paul loves these people, and they're a mess. They are just the worst.

They've got all sorts of problems, and Paul loves them. He loves them, and he wants to direct their hope. Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Then direct one another's hope to the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Don't deter hope.

Don't discourage hope. Direct one another's hope to Christ.

This is the point that is being made in Hebrews chapter 10. When we are not to forsake the assembling ourselves together, as is the manner of some, what are we to be doing?

We're going to be holding fast to the confession of our hope. We are gathering to direct our hope to Christ.

Who cares about the news? In the love of Christ's community, the beloved brethren come together to direct one another's hope to Christ, and of course, he is our victorious

Lord. We see, look, we abound in the work, notice, the work of the

Lord, and that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. The labor we have to do is of the

Lord, and it is in the Lord. Ephesians 2 tells us that we are God's workmanship, that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, and we are to have hope.

How can we not have hope when our labor, it is of Christ, and for Christ, and in Christ, the risen one.

It is very important for us to remember that Jesus Christ is

Lord, not pragmatism. Pragmatism, the expected materialistic outcome, the expected outcome based on a worldview wherein it's nothing but numbers, and matter, and percentages, and rolling the dice.

What's a good chance that this is going to succeed or not? Pragmatism is not

Lord of the church. Well, that's never going to work. Pragmatism is not

Lord of the family. Well, what works best? Pragmatism is not

Lord of the state. Jesus Christ is Lord, not the expected materialistic outcome.

That's how we believe in our hope made clear. Now, we must work out our hope in fear.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Now, this move that is made here from considering the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then our labor, that is as natural as God speaking, let there be, and it was, and in good order.

Throughout the New Testament, time and again, we are compelled to consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then from that exalted place of honor that Christ has, then to consider how we now live.

Time and again, a great meditation for you this afternoon, this week, Philippians 2, verses 5 through 13 and following, to consider the humility of Christ as He suffers in our place, and for our sake, even obeying

His Father, even to the point of dying upon the cross. And for this reason, God highly exalts

Christ and gives Him a name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is

Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, do all things without murmuring and disputing. What?

So, here's how you now live in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in light of His exaltation.

Now, here's how you love one another, here's how you live, here's how you go about your life. I think more poignant a passage that illustrates the same is

Hebrews 13, the benediction of Hebrews, chapter 13, verses 20 and 21.

Listen to how we go from the resurrection of Christ, to how we shall now live.

Now, may the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do

His will, working in you what is well -pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen. Do you see that? Because Jesus has been raised from the dead, therefore, now everything is different.

Now, all the blessings of God through Christ may come to you. So, fear the

Lord. Think first of His exaltation. Think first of Christ's standing as our exalted head.

He stands as the one who was dead, but is alive forevermore, holding the keys of death and Hades.

He's the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. His status should be our primary consideration.

To fear God, to reverence Christ, means we think of Him first. We think of Him first, and then we think of what is going on in our lives and all around us, and what direction do we go.

The status of Jesus Christ, the risen one, the exalted one, the reigning one,

He should be our consideration of whether or not we take the trouble. To do what?

Take the trouble to do what? Well, there's two things here. The working out of our hope and fear in this verse, there's two things.

One is, the first one is hold fast. Hold fast. In light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, just in case you didn't understand what steadfast means.

But actually, the second is an acceleration of the first. Steadfast.

What's the idea? This is something the Corinthians needed to think about.

Corinth was kind of a unique city in the ancient Roman Empire, situated between two different sea ports.

They were truly a melting pot of all types of trimes and tongues and cultures, and they had a lot of things going on.

Things were always changing in Corinth. There was always a new form of immorality, always a new god to worship, and so on.

It was a very metropolitan place. Paul says hold fast, be steadfast, immovable.

In what regard? In what regard? Well, first of all, consider the trouble of being steadfast.

If you want trouble in this life, just be uncompromising and stalwart about anything.

About anything. But if you want a posse of troubles, take an unbudging, hope -filled stand for Christ, and you'll have all the trouble you want.

There's two words here. Steadfast, immovable. The idea is you tie up and drop anchor. The idea is that you plant yourself and you don't move a muscle.

You dig in your heels all the way up to your neck. About what?

Well, given the context of the chapter, how about the resurrection? For there are some among them who were saying there was no resurrection from the dead.

That's impossible. That doesn't fit with our worldview. How can there be a resurrection from the dead? That's foolishness.

How about they hold fast concerning the resurrection of of Jesus Christ?

How about they hold fast concerning the gospel that was proclaimed beforehand in the scriptures? That they not move a muscle away from the person and work of Jesus Christ?

How about they be steadfast concerning the faith once for all handed down to the saints?

How about we be steadfast and immovable about public preaching and Christian gatherings and singing hymns and taking communion?

And how about telling these self -righteous civil magistrates who try to force themselves upon the bride of Christ to go jump in a lake?

And if they repent and find refuge in Christ along the way, we'll show up and baptize them. Colossians 123, continue in the faith grounded and steadfast, unmoved from the hope of the gospel which we have heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven.

Someone is disagreeing. Now that sounds good, but that kind of inflexibility just won't work.

Well, Ms. Hopeless, we serve a risen savior, not a thousand dead tyrants.

What does he want us to do? Work out our hope and fear, hold fast and press on.

Two things, hold fast and press on. Dig in and keep on your toes.

Not only is our steadfastness not in vain because of the abound and productiveness for Christ.

Why? Because Christ is risen from the dead. We can press on.

Look, it says, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. We may abound and we abound at all times in the work that he has saved us for, for the work that he has especially prepared for us.

But what work has he especially prepared for me? I think Spurgeon somewhere said that, well, if you're a cricket, chirp for all the glory of God.

If God made you a cricket, then do what crickets do. We may in the resurrection life of Jesus Christ abound.

This is a word which means to spill the banks, to spill the banks.

Not only are we to be steadfast, cutting deep, running deep as a river, a river which can never be displaced or removed, but also we are to be on the move.

We are to be spilling the banks and rushing forward in the work of Christ.

It is not hopeless. It is not in vain. There is purpose and meaning to what we do for Christ in the name of Christ because he is risen from the dead.

It is not hopeless. What work do we have to do?

How may we spill the banks? Well, first of all, we've got to stop listening to the news as a form of truth.

The news has always been bad. Always. In every generation, if Christians lived according to the news,

Christianity would have ceased upon the face of the planet. But we cannot live according to the news.

We have to live according to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we've got work to do, whatever that is, in our families, in our church, in our civil duties, in our stewardships.

Whatever it is, we've got work to do. We've got work to do for Christ. We cannot be as the foolish servant who said, well, it doesn't matter anyway.

Why polish brass on a sinking ship? I'm going to bury my talent, bet in the backfield, and when

Jesus comes for it, I'll just say, well, you know, it was pointless anyway. Here's your shekel back. Christ says that's an evil way of thinking.

And if you say, look, I get it. If you say, well, this is so bad, it's the worst it's ever been, and I can't convince you otherwise, even from readings from church history.

You say, this has to be it. Jesus is coming back in the next whenever. Then how does the master want to find his servants?

At work, busy, productive, abounding in the labor of the

Lord. And we can all agree on that. And why is it not pointless?

Why is it not in vain? Why is everything we do in our, you know, read the

Bible, pray, love one another, reconcile, mow the lawn.

Why is it not in vain? Because Jesus Christ, the

God -man, fully God and fully man, righteous, our Redeemer, who has shed his blood for us, died in our place, been raised for our justification.

Jesus Christ, who is the master of the universe at the center of everything. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.

That's why it's not in vain. That's why it's not in vain. So dearly beloved, he is risen.

Dear father, we've come before you today. We thank you that you give us hope. We have hope. We don't have to despair.

We don't have to despair. We may live in an abundant, active, grounded, steady hope.

Oh, father, thank you for the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ.

Help us to live in the light of that glory today and every day. For Christ's sake, we pray.

Amen. Stand with me for our song of benediction.

We're going to sing the Easter song on page 222. I thought we were singing another verse.

Okay. Can we go ahead and sing another verse? Okay. Let's just do the whole thing one more time.

I'm sorry. I apologize. He is risen.

are dismissed. Let us go out in joy. Amen.