I don't feel like I have to preach us for that. I was just gonna say what they said you're dismissed. OK. A special shout out to our lobby. People who are watching on our screens there in the lobby as we've extended in. So I'll try to be uh extra funny if there's any jokes just know in the room. It's like really laughing loud. So just expect that. Now uh there is a story of a little boy who had to miss Palm Sunday because he was sick. So he stayed home with his mom and his dad went to church. And when his dad came home, his dad brought a palm branch and his son asked him, dad, why do you have a palm branch? He said, well, on Palm Sunday, that's when Jesus entered the village. And so when Jesus came, the people waved palm branches to celebrate his coming. And so today everyone got palm branches and his son goes, oh man, the one Sunday I miss and Jesus shows up. Well, I'm glad that you guys have shown up today. And more importantly, I'm glad and believe that God has shown up today. And that God is here with us and that he has risen from the grave and he is alive because he is alive. The church is alive and we believe the power of the Holy Spirit is with us here today. Amen. This morning's message is entitled the paradox of Easter. It's the paradox of Easter. And a paradox can be defined as a statement or a situation that seems absurd or contradictory. But that when investigated, people really find it to be true. Right? So if you've heard the phrase jumbo shrimp, right? Or the phrase less is more or this is the beginning of the end. My personal favorite when you're taking photos act natural. You know, being a pastor is interesting because you get a front row seat to the best and highest moments in people's lives and the worst and lowest moments in people's lives, right? Child dedications, baptisms, weddings, but then also counseling and grieving and loss and funerals. Last week, I had the honor to officiate a memorial of someone who left us too soon. And it was held at a different church location. And so when I showed up and churches are busier than ever these days that it was crazy that there was actually the church was and I'm glad the church was being used for this. But I just found it so fascinating that there is a memorial and a wedding happening at the same time. I mean, it was crazy that that was happening. But grateful that churches can do that and support those different needs. And so to differentiate, they actually had arrows pointing where to go. You can actually see a photo when I showed up. So literally wedding this way, memorial this way. And I had a few thoughts that hit me in that moment. I was like, wow, talk about the extreme of highs and lows. And then also how grateful I am for signage, imagine showing up at the wrong one could go very poorly. But in my preparation for Easter, what I realized is that Easter is both a memorial and a wedding. See, it's through the death of Jesus Christ actually leads to resurrected life that because Jesus gave his life up for you and I is death on the cross that we gain access to the greatest relationship that we can have with him. And in the Bible describes Christ and the church as bride and groom. So Easter is both a memorial and a wedding. It's a paradox. Now every year, it's interesting to try to find the angle if you will of how we're gonna approach the story of Easter. And today I think we're gonna make two different camps happy because I understand that there is different camps in the room. There is camp number one. You're not very churchy, right? You're you came here either out of guilt, shame or invitation or enforcement from that friend, family or coworker Right. But your, your church really isn't your thing. It's ok. Today's for you. Right. And then the second camp we're gonna also try to reach is the churchy, churchy. You know what I'm talking about? People almost seem a little borderline to church. You know what I mean? Like you're praising God when your pizza's delivered. You know what I'm saying? And if you don't know what churchy churchy is, you, you might be that person, you know what I'm saying? But you're in luck because today's message is for both of you, both camps. Why? Because everything we're gonna talk about today stems from just one verse. So churches are my thing group. It's one verse, one verse. That's it. All right. We're gonna walk through one verse and for my churchy churchy, we're going deep into one verse today and we're gonna quote a lot of other scripture. But it's all to point back to the value of this. And our verse for today's Easter message comes from John chapter 19 verse 30. It says when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said it is finished and he bowed his head and he gave up his spirit. What we're gonna look at today are the final moments on the cross. In fact, those three actions, it is finished, bowed as head. He gave up his spirit, a really movement, movements of God and then movements for Christianity. And so three powerful movements found in one moment that changed all of history as we know it, it is finished, bowed, his head gave up his spirit. Let's walk through these movements together. The first movement, after drinking the sour wine, he uttered the words, it is finished. And these words really represent God's purpose. You see in English, we say the words, it is finished. But in the original language, it was Te Teles I which means paid in full, which is pretty cool because this phrase was used commonly throughout that culture in a few different ways. One of those ways was bus business merchants who when the sale was completed, right? Paid in full. In a sense was a written receipt that payment had been accepted. Tite was also used in the judicial system that the judge would write that on the slate that someone sins, someone's crimes would be posted on the jail cell. And that when their time had been served, their slate would literally be wiped clean, replace with that phrase paid in full. And so when Jesus on the cross uttered those words, it is finished. What he was saying was that your debt has been paid that your slate had been wiped clean. Thus fulfilling his mission, his ministry here on earth, there's no greater words uttered. Then it is finished. Don't just take my word for it. We see this throughout scripture. Hebrews chapter one verse three says, referring to Jesus. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And notice this phrase here, he upholds the universe by the word of his power. I love that. You know why? Because he doesn't say the power of his word. He says the word of his power. He is power and one expression of that is through his word that he's upholding our very existence right now. But that's fitting though, isn't it? Because how did he create the world? He spoke it into existence. And we're in John's Gospel, John chapter 19, but in John chapter one, how does the gospel begin in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. So God speaks the world into existence. Then he is the word became flesh, lived on earth and then dying on the cross. He utters most purposeful words in history. It is finished. He continued on in verse three. It says after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He didn't sit down because he was tired. He sat down because he was finished. Your debt has been paid. Your slate has been wiped clean. Mark. Chapter 10 verse 45 says, for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom. For many John chapter 10 verse 10, Jesus is speaking and he says, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. And I came, they may have life and have it abundantly. You see the enemy knows your name and calls you by your sin. Jesus knows your sin and yet calls you by name in Luke 1910, it says for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. This is why he came. And the resurrection is the receipt that the payment was accepted. Right on Easter Saturday. That's like when you swipe your card and it says processing. Right, right. And then on Easter Sunday it says please remove your card payment accepted. You know, when I think about this phrase, I will forever think back to 2020. Everyone's favorite year. Um Well, for introverts, for introverts, some of y'all still trying to play that card. I wish we could get together. I was like, no, no, no. That was four years ago. I remember as a church we launched in 2018, the end 2019 was our first full year. And so like 2020 here we go. And every pastor in America said 2020 vision and no one saw it coming. Pandemic shuts the world down. We gathered as leaders, remember actually sitting there with Clark and some of our other leaders here in this room. And we said, you know, when the rest of the world is pulling away, we wanna double down and show that we're for the community. And so we came across this company called R IP Medical Debt. That was started originally as a collection agency. You see, if you, someone has um, financial hardship, like let's say they have a hospital bill of $10,000 they can't pay that eventually. That gets sold to a credit company for a penny on the dollar. So for about 100 bucks and then that credit agency will then try to do everything they can to get whatever they can out of that person and that's how they make money. Well, this company started out in that business, but instead they have a different approach, they buy someone's medical debt for the same ratio of a penny to the dollar. And then they send them a letter to let them know that their debt has been paid for. No, cool. So we got a hold of some of the representatives and we said, hey, how much, how much debt is in this area? Desert, Red Cave Creek kind of area? And these zip codes, how, how many families because you have to meet certain criteria, right? How many families fit that criteria? I said 700 and the debt was about $13,000. And, and so we prayed about it. We talked about it as a leadership team. Some of you remember that? And we said, all right, we'll take it and she said, take what? She said, we'll take all of it. And so there first month of COVID. We didn't even know if we were gonna exist and actually $13,000 seems like a lot also seems like not a lot, but for us represented 50% of what came in that month and we said we're gonna give it away to pay the debt for people because that penny to the dollar ratio meant that our $13,000 donation paid off $1.3 million in medical debt for 700 families in our community. Yeah. Yeah. I'm happy to clap for that because it was your guys' generosity. Our generosity as a church. You guys did that and it was cool to double down and say, hey, we're for the community. We wanna make a difference. And you know what was interesting, I've never heard from a single person. Not one last service. I paused and see if maybe somebody received that and stood up in the room. I just had this moment in my mind like I was gonna anybody. No. OK. She and while no one reached back out what I lay my head down at night and just felt total joy and peace in is the fact that 700 families received a letter in the mail. They said your debt has been paid in full and as a church, we will forever remember that moment that this is what Jesus did for us when he said it is finished. This was God's purpose as the first movement but the second movement of God in that final moment on the cross is that Jesus bowed his head, Jesus bowed his head, which ultimately represents God's peace. I'll be honest with you, almost 20 years of ministry didn't give the whole bowing the head much thought, right? I mean, he would, it's just simply this, right? But actually has very important symbolic representation for unite today. One commentator put it this way, he said, Jesus laid his head to rest and then dismissed his spirit. See the word peace actually means complete whole or restored. In fact, the root words for anxiety actually mean to be pulled apart, right? So to have peace is to have restoration, to be whole, to be complete. So what's interesting to me is that on the cross, the most painful moment in human history when Jesus experienced the wrath of God and the sins of all humanity, it was in that moment that Jesus rested this from the man in Matthew 820. It says that Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. The moment he rests is on the cross. What that tells me is that in the most painful moment possible, Jesus still had peace. What that means for you and for me is that whatever situation you're walking through right now, financial relational physical health, worry overwhelm isolation, whatever you're walking through if Jesus can bow his head and find peace on the cross, there is peace available and possible for you and for me. But don't just take my word for it. See, Colossians 120 says, and through him, through Jesus to reconcile to himself, whether on earth or in heaven making peace by how by the blood of his cross. Romans 51 says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have what we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This makes a lot more sense. Now, the stories of Jesus, like there's always one that fascinated me. In Mark chapter four, there were fishermen in a boat that were afraid for their life because the storm and the wind and the waves were so high and you know what Jesus was doing in that moment? He's taking a nap. Why? Because He is peace again. Don't take my word for it. It says it right here in Ephesians chapter two verse 14, for he himself is our peace who made us both one and has broken down in his flush in the dividing wall of hostility. Jesus is our peace church. If if you try to find your peace in wealth, in health, in fame and in your own power, you will not have peace. This is why people who have all the worldly success still have things like broken marriages or addictions or struggles. Why? Because they are not finding the peace that they've been searching for. But peace is not a something, it's a savior. Peace is a person. You can have peace because you can have Jesus in the upper room with his disciples. John chapter 14, it says in chapter 14 verse 27 peace I leave with you. My peace, I give you not as the world gives. Do I give to you not to let your hearts be troubled? Neither let them be afraid. Not only does he have peace on the cross? He makes peace for you. And I, and then offers that peace through the power of his holy Spirit. So that through whatever storm struggle or issue you find yourself in, you can have peace because you can have Jesus right around 1800 Napoleon and his army was going through their Austrian campaign and they came across this town that was, I can't pronounce words. Uh It's OK, I'm a public speaker. So that should be important. But anyway, um the town was called uh Field Krk sounds Austrian enough. Um And they surrounded this small village and the village was afraid and it was Easter Eve. And so the people of the village decided to gather and pray one last time. And so they gathered in the church and they prayed. And then on Easter morning, they rang the Easter bells of Resurrection Sunday as one final hurrah and trust in Jesus. But Napoleon's army did not realize that it was Easter Sunday. And so when they heard the bells in the town, they thought that overnight, the Austrians had gathered reinforcements and that therefore they became afraid and instead of fighting, retreated. Yeah. So the Easter bells brought peace on the village and the people were saved. I want you to know that not only is God's purpose available to you today, God's peace is available for you today. He said it is finished. He then bowed his head to find rest in the worst moment possible. And lastly the last movement of God in the final moment on the cross, he gave up his spirit, he gave up his spirit. And this represents God's power. This represents God's power. His life was not taken. He gave up. It says in John 10 verse 17 and 18, it says for this reason, the father loves me because I lay my life down that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have the authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my father, Jesus gave his life and then took it again because when he took it again, he demonstrated authority over your sin, over your life. And for all eternity, it's a demonstration of God's power. Ephesians five verse two says, we walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Second Corinthians 521. It says that for our sake, he made him who knew no sin to be sin. So that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God. This is the single greatest exchange in all eternity. We give him our sin. He gives us His blessing. We exchange our spirit for his. And the same telling of the story in Mark's account of the gospel in Mark 15, verse 3738 it says, and Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last breath. And the curtain from the temple was torn in two. And I want you to note this detail from top to bottom, see the curtain in the temple. Some say like 30 ft high. Uh More commentators actually say it was about 60 ft high. And in fact, Josephus, the Jewish historian who wasn't even Christian talked about how this curtain was so high, so thick, about maybe four inches, 4 to 5 inches thick, 60 ft high that two grown horses could not pull it apart and it's separated in the temple from the holy of Holies that only the high priest could go into once a year to offer sacrifice on behalf of the people. But when Jesus died on the cross, when he gave up his spirit says, the curtain tore into not from bottom to top because that would mean man did it. But from top to bottom meaning that God did it. God removed the barrier and when he gave his spirit, he gave it to you and to me removing the barrier, giving us full access to God. It's a memorial. It's a wedding. It's a paradox. He gave us his gift. But this gift is like a gift card and I was curious. So I looked it up, you know, there's two thirds of Americans have an unused gift card in their wallet or in their home in a drawer right now. Quick show of hands in the room and in the lobby right now. How many of you have an unused gift card on you right now or at home? Ok. That's more than two thirds. That's like every single person in here. What are you doing? It's free money. People ever of everyone that has a gift card, they say half of you are gonna lose the card before you actually redeem it and a credit summit reported last year that Americans left $21 billion on gift cards. Unspent. See what's interesting about a gift card is that the value isn't the card itself? It's the value of what it represents, what's already been paid for. It's already been paid for. Those businesses are genius, but you don't gain access to the value of what's already been paid for unless you go ahead and redeem it. I wonder how many people in this room? Maybe it's every holiday, maybe it's every Sunday, you've received that gift. You've heard this message, you've heard the story of Easter time and time again. But another service, another card goes unspent in the drawer. You see the death of Christ leads to life because he didn't stay. Then he rose again on the third day. And so the death of Christ leads to resurrected life and he gives an eternal gift to you and to me. But it's time to cash in. But here's the beauty of it. You ready? Those same movements of God are the same things you and I need to do to receive that blessing. You see, when you believe in Jesus, you receive God's purpose, God's peace and God's power. And so the question is, will you receive Jesus today? We actually cash in that card and by cashing in the card, I mean, believe it in your heart, allow the spirit of God to transform your life. John, how do I do that? Start by saying it is finished. You start by saying I'm finished. I'm at my end. I cannot make it through this life on my own. I cannot make it to heaven on my own. And you come to the end of yourself and you acknowledge that you are finished that it has to be God's purpose working in you. But then second, simply bow your head. It's a sign of respect. But let me tell you, it is a sign of rest. Say God I need your peace. I admit I can't do it. I'm finished. God, I need you in my life. And then lastly, you receive God's power. You give up your spirit. You give up your life in exchange to receive His. Because when you say you are finished and you bow your head and you receive God's spirit, your sins will be forgiven. Your debt will be paid and wiped clean and you can have eternal life tomorrow and abundant life today. What do you pray with me? Dear God? We come to the end. We acknowledge that we have finished that we can do nothing apart from you. We believe in your purpose, God. So we bow our heads and we receive your peace that whatever we're walking through. God, you are stronger still and lastly God, we want your power. We give up our spirit in exchange for yours. We believe that you are Lord and that you are savior. Thank you for giving us purpose, peace and power. We commit our lives to you in your son's name. We pray amen.