Read Part 3

(5/4) As we celebrate Easter, we look back on the greatest morning in history, resurrection Sunday. This is the day that the stone was rolled away, the grave lost its grip, and our Savior rose with power and glory. This is the day that changed everything. Death was defeated, Hope came alive, and Joy returned to God’s people.

However, even though many of us celebrate with a faith rooted in resurrection power, victory, and promise, some of us are still walking through what feels like a Good Friday season. You may believe in the empty tomb, but you’re still carrying the weight of the cross. You rejoice with others, but inside you are wrestling with grief, questions, or places in your life that feel hopeless or unfinished.

But here is the good news: Resurrection Sunday didn’t happen because everything was perfect; it occurred in the midst of pain, heartbreak, and confusion. That same Jesus who stepped out of the grave is stepping into your story today. Whether you are standing in celebration or crawling, discouraged and defeated, our risen Lord came for you, and He is not finished yet.

Let’s go to the word of God in 2 Timothy chapter 1, as you are finding your place, before we get into the passage, I want to give you some background so you understand the context.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to a young man named Timothy, someone he had mentored, discipled, and cared for like a son. At the time of this writing, Paul knew his time on earth was almost over, and these words were part of his final message. They were filled with urgency, love, and purpose as Paul passed the torch, urging Timothy to stay strong, reminding him of his identity in Christ, and calling him to remain faithful to the mission that God had placed on his life.

In chapter 1, Paul gives Timothy and us some powerful reminders, like when he urges him to "fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6, NIV).

Or when he encourages him not to live in fear because he tells him the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7, NIV).

It’s that kind of encouragement that speaks to all of us because it reminds us of something that we easily forget. If God didn’t give it to you, you don’t have to keep it. And so, if fear didn’t come from God, you can let it go. If anxiety didn’t come from God, don’t dwell on it or entertain it. If that heavy weight of shame, confusion, or insecurity didn’t come from God, you are not required to hold onto it.

In other words, you are not obligated to entertain every thought that crosses your mind. Feelings may arise, but they don’t have to dictate your reality. You have the ability to acknowledge emotions without letting them take control; your mind is not a hostage to every passing mood. Instead, you can choose what you dwell on and what you release because you are in charge of your inner world. In fact, the Bible gives us a clear strategy saying, "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV).

You are a chosen and loved child of the King, empowered by the Spirit of God. This means you have the authority to take every lie, every anxious thought, and every fear-filled imagination, and bring them under the authority of Jesus. You can declare the truth in your mind by saying, "That’s not who I am; that’s not where I’m going to live today. I’m walking in the truth of who God says I am."

So, who does God say you are? Well, His Word says you are His child, an heir of God and co-heir with Christ. You are chosen, set apart, and called for His purpose. You are God’s special possession, called out of darkness and into His wonderful light. You have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, marked as His own. You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, lifted up by grace, and placed in a position of victory. And you have been given power from on high—the power to overcome, the power to stand, the power to be a witness to the resurrection life of Jesus within you.

That is who you are, not because you earned it, but because He called you to it and placed His Spirit within you. Therefore, that is how you walk—not in fear, but in faith and with purpose.

As we come to our text in verse nine, the apostle reminds Timothy that it is God who saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9, NIV).

Just think about that for a moment, before God said, "Let there be light," He had already planned to pour out grace on your life. Even before the foundation of the world was established, He had already seen you, loved you, and called you. You were on His heart before time began, and your name was written on His hand. You may not be famous or have thousands of followers, but that doesn’t change the truth. You were chosen and set apart for this moment. You were born to make a difference. You were created with a purpose that is eternal, powerful, and backed by heaven itself.

And then Paul says something in the next verse that struck me in a whole new way last week. I had read it countless times before, but this time it leapt off the page because God’s word is not merely words on a page; it speaks to where you are. It is alive, and every time you return to it, the Holy Spirit can reveal something new. Here’s what Paul writes in verse 10:

"It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10, NIV).

Reflect on this truth for a moment: Jesus Christ has defeated death. Consider the significance of that statement. When Jesus rose, he conquered the grave and revealed everlasting life, bringing immortality from the shadows into the light of the gospel.

In other words, Jesus didn’t merely talk about eternal life; he brought it to us. He didn’t just confront death; he conquered it, and now, through him, life and immortality have been revealed. No longer is life and immortality a concealed mystery; they have been made clear through the good news of what Jesus accomplished. That is the gospel; that is the power of the risen Christ working in us right now.

That is my prayer for this message: that it would speak to where you are right now. And so, if you are questioning your faith, battling doubt, or thinking about giving up, I pray these words would shine the light of the gospel into your darkness. I pray that they would remind you that God sees you, knows you, and has never once forgotten you.

You’re not the same person you once were, you have grown and experienced more. And so, my prayer is that God speaks to the version of you that exists right now.

Think about what the disciples, the followers of Jesus, experienced from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday. On Friday, they watched Jesus, the one they had followed, loved, and believed to be the Messiah, get arrested, beaten, and crucified. All their hopes died with him. Overwhelmed with grief, fear, and confusion, some wept while others ran and hid, but none of them knew how to move forward because everything they thought they understood about God’s plan seemed to fall apart.

But they didn’t completely walk away, even in their doubt and sorrow, they stayed close. They waited, and on the other side of their darkest day, God showed up in a way they never could have imagined. On the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the dead, causing their fear to turn to joy, their confusion to clarity, and their sorrow to be replaced with purpose. Resurrection Sunday didn’t just change their circumstances, but it changed them forever.

If the disciples had walked away after Friday, they would have missed the miracle of Sunday. And the same is true for us. Some of the greatest blessings in life show up just on the other side of not giving up. God often does His most powerful work after we’ve made it through our hardest seasons. The key is to keep holding on, even when it hurts—because Sunday is coming.

I don’t know who this is for, but let me say this to someone today: on the other side of the betrayal, rejection, trial, or difficulty you are thinking about walking away from might be the greatest blessing of your life. And so, let me ask you directly, are you going to let the enemy talk you out of what God has called and created you to do?

On this Easter weekend, I want to remind you as followers of Jesus, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).

The Bible makes it very clear that we are in a real spiritual battle. It’s not just about hard times, is not just about living in a fallen world, it’s about unseen forces trying to stop God’s plan for your life. Your spiritual enemy hates what God loves and works to steal your peace, kill your purpose, and destroy your connection with God.

And so, if he can’t destroy you, he will try to derail you with lies, fear, shame, and doubt, anything to make you forget who you are in Christ. That’s why the apostle Paul says to put on the full armor of God. It’s not just for defense but to help us stand firm, speak the truth, and walk in the victory Jesus has already won.

This is why the pressure often gets heavier right before you experience a breakthrough. Whenever you are close to something meaningful, the enemy intensifies his attack. And so, remember you are not fighting for victory, but from the victory that Jesus already won.

Some of the greatest breakthroughs and most significant moments in your life might be just beyond the trial you feel tempted to walk away from. And so, let me encourage you not to give up, to keep going, and to continue trusting God, because your spiritual enemy will always attempt to fill your mind with reasons to surrender, especially when it matters most. But the resurrection serves as a reminder that what appears to be the end, what seems to be hopeless, could actually be the beginning of a great victory.

Someone listening right now may be considering walking away from a relationship, a job, your education, the church, or even God himself. You might feel that the weight is too heavy, the road ahead seems impossible, and the enemy keeps whispering, "just quit." But let me encourage you to keep going because the Bible says at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up (Galatians 6:9, NIV).

That is a promise worth holding onto, because your patient endurance and perseverance have purpose. The reason you can keep pressing on comes directly from the Word of God. Philippians chapter 4, verse 13 says,

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13, NIV).

This isn’t about pushing through in your own strength; it’s not about willpower; it’s about leaning on Jesus Christ, who gives you the strength, grace, and endurance to keep moving forward. That truth is what has carried me through the years through every season, mountaintops, valleys, twists, and storms. It’s what kept me standing, because through him I can do everything God has called me to do.

And through him, with confidence in a God who is good, faithful, and full of purpose, you can do everything He has called you to do. As the Bible says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31, NIV).

And so, it’s from that place of deep confidence in Jesus, trusting who he is and what he has done, that I want to speak to you today.

You see, Jesus didn’t endure the cross because he had to; he willingly chose to accept the mission for the joy set before him (Hebrews 12:2). In other words, he saw what was on the other side, the joy set before him was you. You were his reason; he came to rescue you, as Paul tells Timothy, to destroy death and to bring life and immortality into the light

Jesus declared to the people in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

In other words, when Jesus stepped into our world, he walked into the valley of the shadow of death and turned on the light. He broke the grip of death, exposed the enemy’s lies, and illuminated the path to eternal life.

Jesus stepped into the world, putting on flesh, walking in our humanity, or as the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14, sharing our humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death— that is, the devil.

That’s exactly what Jesus did on the cross: he took our sins upon himself, defeated death and the devil, and through his resurrection broke the enemy’s power. That’s why in his name we can boldly declare:

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55, NIV).

Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, death doesn’t get the final word. Death has been defeated, and one day it will be completely destroyed as Jesus promised to those who followed him:

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25–26 NIV).

This is the promise of eternal life for everyone who trusts in Jesus, and I believe that is why some of you are here this morning, because God wanted to give you the opportunity to hear the good news, to put your faith in Jesus Christ, and to say yes to his gift of salvation. When you do, in that moment, you will be transformed and renewed because Jesus overcame death by rising from the grave, proving that death itself has no power over him or over those who believe in him.

And so, Jesus faced unthinkable and unimaginable agony not by accident but with purpose. The Bible says,

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24 NIV).

On Good Friday, Jesus took our sins upon himself, but the darkest night gave way to the brightest morning, because when Sunday came, everything changed. Early that morning, a few women went to the tomb expecting to find Jesus' body. But when they arrived, they discovered that the stone had been rolled away, and an angel said to them:

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay" (Matthew 28:6, NIV).

In that moment, the empty tomb changed everything; it was the turning point of history, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the final victory over death.

Easter is a joyful celebration because death has been defeated once and for all, Hell was crushed, and the grave lost its grip. Because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who endured the cross, scorning its shame, sin is forgiven and freedom made possible. So, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the risen King of Kings and Lord of lords, the one who conquered death and opened the way to life. Holding onto this truth, we declare: "With God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26, NIV).

Today, on this Resurrection Sunday, let this be more than history; let it be the turning point in your story. Because Jesus didn’t rise from the grave just to destroy death, he rose for you because you are his joy and his reason for coming into this world.

As we close in prayer, if you are looking for one good reason to keep going, something to hold onto, something to believe in again, look to the cross and then to the empty tomb. That is your reason.

Jesus is alive, and because he lives, you can too.

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott