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[Silence] [Music] (upbeat music) [Music]

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Oh, we want to nail that, nail him to the cross. He could have come down, but the world would still be low. ♪ Oh, the rent was so high ♪ ♪ The morning he could ♪

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♪ He paid the cross ♪ ♪ Oh, it wasn't ♪ ♪ The nail ♪ ♪ That held him ♪

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♪ To the cross ♪ ♪ Oh, it wasn't ♪ ♪ It wasn't the nail ♪ ♪ That held my father ♪

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♪ To the cross ♪ ♪ He could have ♪ ♪ He could have ♪ ♪ Come down ♪

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♪ Come down ♪ ♪ But the world ♪ ♪ But the world ♪ ♪ Did not belong ♪

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♪ Did not belong ♪ ♪ To Nelson ♪ ♪ So how ♪ ♪ So how ♪

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♪ Only he could ♪ ♪ Only he could ♪ ♪ To pay the cost ♪ ♪ Pay the cost ♪

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♪ Oh, it was ♪ ♪ It was ♪ ♪ To Nelson ♪ ♪ To Nelson ♪

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♪ To help him ♪ ♪ Help him ♪ ♪ To the front ♪ ♪ To the crown ♪

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♪ And tell me ♪ ♪ Wounded by our transgressions ♪ ♪ Bruised by our iniquities ♪ ♪ By stripes we were healed ♪

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♪ And hung out there on Calvary ♪ ♪ Oh, he was lifted up from the earth ♪ ♪ Just to draw, draw me in ♪ ♪ He had the power to lay down his life ♪

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♪ Oh, he had the power to lift his soul again ♪ ♪ And I know, I know it was ♪ ♪ He was ♪ ♪ To nail that ♪

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♪ To nail that ♪ ♪ Nail him ♪ ♪ To nail him ♪ ♪ To the cross ♪

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♪ To the cross ♪ ♪ Oh, he could have ♪ ♪ He could have ♪ ♪ Died ♪

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♪ Come down ♪ ♪ To the world ♪ ♪ Still he thought ♪ ♪ He thought the ransom ♪

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♪ It was so high ♪ ♪ All it took ♪ ♪ And the cost ♪ ♪ Oh, it was ♪

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♪ The death ♪ ♪ Hell he knew ♪ ♪ To the cross ♪ ♪ Oh, he was wounded ♪

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♪ The owl transgressions ♪ ♪ By Nicodemus ♪ ♪ And by his stripes we were healed ♪ ♪ As he hung out there on Calvary ♪

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♪ Oh, he was lifted up from the earth ♪ ♪ Till he used to draw all men ♪ ♪ He has the power to lay down his life ♪ ♪ And I know he has the power to rise, rise again ♪

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♪ Oh, if one day ♪ ♪ One Monday ♪ ♪ I tell my Jesus ♪ ♪ To the cross ♪

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♪ He could have come down ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, he could ♪ ♪ Oh, but the world ♪ ♪ Will still be lost ♪

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♪ The ransom, the ransom ♪ ♪ It was too high, it was too high ♪ ♪ Nobody else could pay the price ♪ ♪ He could, he could pay the price ♪

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♪ Oh, it wasn't, it wasn't a damn ♪ ♪ A damn that he couldn't tell him ♪ ♪ Tell him who, who's the price ♪ ♪ Oh, it wasn't, it wasn't a damn ♪

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♪ A damn that he couldn't tell him ♪ ♪ Tell him who's the price ♪ [music] ♪ Come down, he had to go ♪

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♪ Oh yes he did ♪ ♪ Come down ♪ ♪ Oh, but the world ♪ ♪ But the world will ♪

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♪ Still be there ♪ ♪ Still be there ♪ ♪ Oh, the resurrection ♪ ♪ Must go on ♪

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♪ Must go on ♪ ♪ Oh, he did ♪ ♪ Oh, he did ♪ ♪ He did ♪

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♪ And of course ♪ ♪ And of course ♪ ♪ You know he does it ♪ ♪ He does it ♪

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♪ To him ♪ ♪ To the dead man ♪ ♪ Yeah, he ♪ ♪ Hell, yeah ♪

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♪ Who ♪ (Music) In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul discusses the fact of the resurrection. Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preach to you, which also you received,

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in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, that he was raised on

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the third day according to the scriptures, that he appeared to Ceasus, then to the Twelve, Later he appeared to more than 500 brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. subject of the message, Easter faith in a Good Friday world.

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Easter faith in a Good Friday world. We live in a good Friday world. No matter how strong may seem to be the wrong, ours is a good Friday world where good will always, ultimately, conquer the bad. Jesus Christ died on Good Friday. He was buried, and he rose again.

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This we celebrate on Easter. Jesus Christ made in the image of the Heavenly Father, wrapped in human flesh, and sent to dwell among us. Yet there was no room for him.

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room in the end. There was no room for that which matters most. So we live in a Good Friday world. The one who is born King lives as an outcast. We live in a Good Friday world. Jesus enters this world with us and abides with us. He goes about doing good, but he is misunderstood. He heals all manner of sickness and

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disease. He opens the eyes of the blind. He heals lepers. He raises the dead. He brings new life to what he touches. But the established religious leaders do not believe him. They They seek to destroy him. Nevertheless, he presses on.

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Ours is a Good Friday world. Jesus is the divine design for our lives. He was sent to suffer and die for our sins. That's what it means to embrace the Easter faith in a Good Friday world.

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It is to suffer persecution for righteousness' sake. It is to possess the poverty of spirit that makes us rich toward God. It is to manifest courageous meekness which enables us to inherit this turbulent earth. It is to carry our cross.

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It is not merely to wear a cross, no matter how beautiful or decorative it may be, it is ours to carry the cross. So Good Friday and the Easter faith go hand in hand, and we're not at liberty to pick can choose one over against the other.

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Good Friday and the Easter faith come to us as a shared experience--no cross, no crown. The crown is for those who bear the cross. I remember a particular lady who seemingly responded to every positive with a negative, no matter how well intentioned may have been the motive.

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If one said, "Good morning," she would say, "What's good about it?" People often became vexed, but after some time they learned to live with it, her responses. This is a Good Friday world, and we ought to learn to live in it and with it. We do not always see the reward for the good that we do.

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Sometimes it seems that there is no reward. As Shakespeare put it, "The evil that men do live after them, but the good is often tared with their bones." Ours is a good Friday world.

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So God gives to us the rose with the thorn, or the thorn with the rose, either way you want to put it. Jerusalem has the celebration on Palm Sunday. Jesus rides into the holy city amid the tumultuous shouts of glad Hosannas.

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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Thursday he is betrayed by one of his trusted disciples. He is denied by another. All of the others forsake him. and they run away in time of danger. Then, on Good Friday, males are driven through hands and feet.

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He's wounded in his side. Think not that you can run away in hide. Good Friday is the kind of world we live in. We heard a great deal about the Da Vinci Code, which includes some of the things that were identified with antiquity,

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concerning what people said regarding what we consider the miracle of Easter. Some say it was a Passover plot, that Judas along with others got together and formed a plot and it ended with the crucifixion of Jesus. That was what they were after. Another says that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were sweethearts

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and that they finally got married, ran away, and lived together, having children, and lived, as we would put it, happily ever after. But the Da Vinci Code is not gospel. Da Vinci's code is made up of a great deal of fiction, the historical novel, and it is doing exactly what the author wants it to do, and that is to create concern, sell more books so he can make more money.

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Good Friday and Easter, those are the kind of worlds we live in. And of course we'd like to have Easter without Good Friday in our lives. We'd like to have a life where there's no pain, no disease, No disappointment, no discouragement, no death.

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We'd like to have that. But that's not the kind of world we live in. We live in a good Friday world. We live in a world where there is disappointment,

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where there is discouragement, where there is defeat. And this is the kind of world that God sends Jesus into. It's the kind of world that he sends us into to exercise, to manifest the Easter faith in a Good Friday world.

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And that's the truth. That's the gospel. Paul says, "I shared with you this gospel when I came." This is the gospel that I share, and this is the gospel that you are to share. That Easter is true, no matter how heavy the burden you may be carrying now.

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The truth of the matter is that Easter is true. There is hope. There is release, redemption and release from every burden we may carry. That's the Easter faith in a Good Friday world.

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If Easter be not true, then all the lilies low must fly. The Flanders poppies low and fade and die, for Christ was still within the tomb. Yehistah, be not true.

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If Yehistah be not true, then faith must mount on broken wings, then hope no more immortal spring. Life true with phantom, death a dirge, then love must loose to mighty urge.

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If Easter be not true. If Easter be not true, for foolishness to cross to bear, He died in vain who suffered there, What matter though we laugh or cry,

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Be good or evil, live or die, If Easter be not true. "Ev'iste be not true, but it is true." And Christ is raised, that mortal spirit, from its prison of sin and death.

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And from him may rise worthwhile the struggle, sure the prize. "Ev'iste be not true, but it is true." and all of us who have been redeemed by the precious blood of the cross, join in saying it is true.

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Paul writes to the Corinthians saying that Easter is true. I came the first time saying it, and I'm writing you again saying that Easter is true. The Easter faith is the fulfillment of the divine promise. God has promised.

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He promised to be with us, not just in this life. He promised to be with us beyond this life, so that this is not the end. This is not a one-way street, it's a dead end. It goes on.

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It goes on beyond this life. So, when we hook up with God, we hook up with that which is eternal. Life goes on, as the old song puts it, "I'll live on." Through eternity, I'll live on.

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And this poor, whispering, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave. Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing thy power to praise." Life goes on. That's good news in a world of bad news.

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The Easter phase, Easter phase in a Good Friday world. So after Paul talks about Jesus being raised from the dead and being seen by Cephas and the apostles, after he talks about that, he goes on and talks about the fact that he was seen by more than just those.

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There were 500, and some of them were still alive at the time he was rising. Then he says, "He was seen by me." That's what really makes one know, to know in your heart of hearts that Christ is alive because he lives in you, and he lives in you.

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That's the best testimony one can give. So Paul gives his personal testimony at last, "But God," he said he was as one born out of season, "But God!" God steps in there, and that's what really makes the difference in our lives.

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That's what really makes Easter true. "But God!" So things were going in seemingly a wrong direction, headed toward destruction. "But God!"

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But God, but God interrupts, God invades. God comes in our lives and will never be the same again, but God. That's what makes Easter true, God himself coming into our lives in what appeared to be a closed grave becomes an open door for God to come into our lives and to work miracles.

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So I know Easter is true. I know it's true because Easter helps me to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of life. Easter makes me realize over and over again that God sent his Son to walk with us in the

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garden of our lives, to talk with us and to comfort us in the midst of our distress. what makes Easter true because it's true in our heart of hearts. So thank God. Thank God for the Easter faith. Thank God for His so loved world that He gave His only begotten Son

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that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Thank God for Easter. Even though we find ourselves confronting a good Friday world, thank God for the Easter faith that strengthens and guides us all along the way.

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It's amazing. It's amazing when we read the story how they come to the tomb, not expecting to get in. It's amazing. It's a miracle. It's a miracle every day of our lives. A miracle. Amazing. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound. "Saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now..."

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So, to have one's eyes open and to be able to see the goodness of God no matter what happens in our lives, that's a blessing. So as we come to the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of the Church as we sing, He lives. He lives. He lives because he lives in me.

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I serve a risen Savior. He's not... He's not off somewhere running away from the problems of life. He's right with us. That's the good news. He's with us in our struggles. He walks with us. He talks with us and tells us that we are his own.

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That's the Easter phase. and a good Friday will come, unite with this God who reveals himself to us through Jesus Christ as a member of the church family on the person of faith, come. [Music]

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[music] I know that he is with me, whatever his may say. I see his head of mercy, I hear his voice of cheer. And just the time I need him, he always is.

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He lives, he lives, my people still today. She walks with me and jumps with me, her love I never wear. She gives, she gives, her patience to explore. You ask me how I know who he is.

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He is, he is my heart. In all the world around me I've seen his loving care. And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair. I know that He is leading me to all the glory that

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the day of His appearing will come at last. He lives, He lives, and He exists today. He walks with me and talks with me along my narrow way. He lives, he lives, from ancient to the far.

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That's the hope I know he lives. He lives within my heart. Be yours, be yours, O Savior. Lift up your voice and sing.

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♪ He turned all hallelujah to Jesus Christ the King ♪ ♪ The hope of all who see him ♪ ♪ The help of all who cry ♪ ♪ The love that is so loving, so pure and kind ♪

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♪ He healed, he healed, and Jesus is today ♪ He walks with me and talks with me I know that there's a way He is, he is

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A nation to explore You and me, how I know he is He lives With me

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[Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]