Sheryl Brady - Whoever Has the Keys Has the Power

For the next few moments, I want to talk about the subject of someone who knows the feeling. Look at somebody next to you and tell them, «He knows the feeling.» What do I mean? The thing you’re feeling right now, the emotion that made a tear roll down your cheek in the middle of the night, the frustration boiling inside of you, the fear, the anxiety, the excitement—there is nothing that he has not felt. He went out of his way to feel it for whom? For you, for the face you looked at in the mirror this morning. That was the man and the woman he did it for.

Let’s pray. Spirit of God, I love you today, and I thank you for this gathering. Thank you for calling and drawing us; that means there must be something in this today for me. Lord, I thank you for loving us enough to die for us. Thank you for your body that was broken for us and your Word—your Word that is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Somebody in this room needs to know where to put their foot next. I believe your Word is going to help us today. Somebody doesn’t know which way to turn, but I believe that your Word will bring life. The entrance of the Word brings light; illumination, illuminate our path today. Somebody is at the end of their rope; someone doesn’t know where to turn next, so we’ve turned to you and set aside this day to pull our chairs to your table and say, «Feed us, Jesus; feed us till we want no more.» We praise you right now in advance for the food we are about to eat in the name of Jesus. Somebody clap your hands and help me tell God thank you. Look at your neighbor and tell them you don’t have to have manners, just eat up today, just eat up! If you see something you want, reach for it, pull it down—just eat up today. Amen. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.

Today is our day as believers because it is the day we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the day that we celebrate. Not only do we celebrate what we would call his death, burial, and resurrection, but included in that is our spiritual emancipation. Because before Calvary, we were slaves—I said before Calvary we were slaves—but because of Calvary today, you and I are free. The Bible tells us that he whom the Son sets free is free indeed. So Easter Sunday morning is an awesome occasion for those of us whose sins have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is a fantastic day for us to gather together, yet it is also a very predictable day for people who always come to church on Easter Sunday. I guarantee that people, pastors, and leaders all over the world are talking today about our Savior. They are discussing how he was beaten with a cat of nine tails, how he was crucified, how he died, how they buried him, and how he rose again. They are sharing how he conquered death, hell, and the grave. I said, how he conquered death, hell, and the grave.

While all of that is true and he did every last bit of it, what I want to tell you today is that it is irrelevant to you if you do not know how to take what he did for you on that day and make it applicable in your life. You see, the story of Easter is captivating; it creates excitement. It is not only exciting, but it is life-altering and life-changing. Yet, it does us no good to hear the story and not be personally affected by it. So today, my question to all of you—whether you’re in this room or online or in the balcony (hey, maybe we need a balcony, I don’t know)—wherever you are, my question to you today is: how has Calvary affected you personally? We know that he has been resurrected, but my question is: has he been resurrected inside of you?

For you see, Easter has to mean more than just white patent leather shoes, Easter baskets, bunnies, egg hunts, and going to church with your mama because you’ve been telling her all year, «I’m coming, I’m coming, ” and she made you come on Easter Sunday morning. There has got to be more to the story than all of that. Look at somebody next to you and tell them there’s more to the story of Calvary. You see, as a result of God so loving the world that he gave—not just the church, but he loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son—for you and for me. And Jesus was given, but he was given to us as a gift, a gift that could afford us redemption because we could not pay for it ourselves. So he had to purchase it for us, and he did all of that not because he didn’t love his only begotten Son, because he did, but he also loved you, and you, and you, and me, and all of us today. He loved us in our sin.