Easter At Hope City | 2025

Celebrate Easter with us at Hope City Church! This Easter service includes our band leading us in songs that help us understand who God is and express our love and thankfulness to Him.

In this special Easter service, Pastor Phil shares an Easter message filled with the hope and life found in Jesus. Whether you’ve been part of church for years or you’re just checking things out, this is a moment to reflect on what Easter truly means.

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Transcript

0:16

- Hey, this is Phil Kniesel, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- Hope city, Jesus is alive. He's now a resurrection. Who thinks of something like this, who devises a plan like this? Bring a dead man back to life. It's always the unusual and unexpected that makes the news. You never hear a story about a plane that landed safely. Easter is the news story that was outta the ordinary. It was so big, so epic. So history making that we're still celebrating it. 2000 years later, Jewish man in the first century dies. That's not news. What made it news is that he didn't stay dead. Jesus came out of that tomb and defeated the biggest fear holding enemy of humanity, death itself. And this was God's plan. All along on that Friday, everyone who had hoped Jesus was who he said he was, thought that their dream had died. No one contemplated something like a resurrection. Even though Jesus predicted it, told them about it. It's almost like everyone had amnesia or maybe thought that he was talking in hyperbole. Dead people don't rise. So as of Friday, the hopes in Jesus also died. Dead people don't rise. So now what? A New Testament author by the name of Luke, he writes about the resurrection, mourning, and there's a group of women who went to the tomb and found it empty. And they were told by an angel that was there that Jesus was alive. And so they ran to tell the disciples. And Luke writes this, they meaning the disciples did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense, legit, dead people don't rise. It was too much to take in. And and, and maybe, maybe that's you today. This whole rising from the dead thing seems a little bit like nonsense. There's this other moment recorded on that resurrection Sunday. Two guys were walking back from Jerusalem to their hometown and a resurrected Jesus shows up walking beside them and they didn't recognize him. Now these guys were at his crucifixion. They heard he was alive, but they didn't believe it. And Jesus essentially comes up to them and says, what's up guys? And everything in their conversation became past tense. They started talking about how Jesus died, how he was a good prophet, how he did powerful miracles, how he was a mighty teacher. They had hoped he was the Messiah. They couldn't get past Friday. Maybe today that's you as well. Jesus is more past tense than present. Maybe you grew up in church, but it's nothing for you. Now, this Jesus thing seems a little far fetched friend. I'm here to tell you that the real ending wasn't on Friday. It was on Sunday, and it was on that day that Jesus conquered sin and death once and for all who thinks of the resurrection? God does. It was God's power that raised Jesus from the dead. And that same power, listen to me, can transform and change your life. Whatever you are facing Friday's good 'cause Sunday's coming. Amen. And the resurrection shouts. God is all powerful. Death has no grip on our lives. Sin is defeated once and for all. And if we put our faith in Jesus, God, in his love, grace and mercy offers life, hope and eternal purpose. That's life both now and forever. So if that is true, how come so many walk around as if it's not The real ending of Friday happened on Sunday, yet so many of us tend to live as if Sunday never came. I like how Paul, he's a New Testament author, prominent one in the New Testament. He writes it this way. He says, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. The richest of his glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe that power is the same as the mighty strength. He exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. And so he's saying the same power that raised Christ from the dead upon making the best decision of your life lives in you. The power that raised Jesus from the dead. Yeah, that one, the one that made Sunday possible. And I wanna highlight what this actually means for you. Three things. Resurrection power does. Number one, resurrection power helps you see differently. Paul said it this way, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. Meaning we all need spiritual vision to truly understand what God has done and what God is doing. Many live in spiritual blindness, aware of God, but not seeing any evidence of him. Resurrection power changes how we see God, our lives, our struggles and our future. Remember those women who talk to the angel at the tomb on that resurrection, mourning, the one who told them Jesus is alive. He also said this to them. He said, do not be afraid. For I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen just as he said, come and see the place where he lay. Now I want you to notice the language here. I know that you are looking for Jesus. Come in. See, the woman at the tomb expected to see death. But the angel told him to see something new, to see an empty grave and friend. I don't know where you're looking today, but I asking you, and I want you to see something new. Are you seeing only problems, failures and hopelessness. Resurrection power opens our eyes to God's reality. Jesus is alive and he offers a new way to view the world and our lives. It rattles our expectations, it changes our presuppositions. So when you look at your own life, what do you see? Do you see death or do you see life? Do you see that the grave is empty? What do you see? Because what you see determines whether your perspective becomes eternal or just immediate. What you see determines whether your scope becomes broader or narrow. What you see determines whether you see Jesus for who he truly is. Resurrection power helps you see differently. Secondly, resurrection power gives you hope. Listen to what Paul said again. He says, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you the richest of his glorious inheritance. That glorious inheritance is eternity with Jesus in heaven. That glorious inheritance is his presence with us right now. That's the hope of Jesus. You know, on that Saturday after the dead end, Friday, the disciples, they were scattered, fearful, and hopeless. The thing that they thought would happen. Well, it never did. In their minds, Jesus died. It was over. He didn't start a new reign of a new kingdom. In their minds, three years of following him seemed to be a little bit of a waste. They literally didn't know what to do. And maybe, maybe you've been there or maybe you are there. Maybe you've given up hope. You don't know what to do anymore. You've been hanging on for years and it seems like everything you are hoping God to do be about. And even orchestrate has been nothing but the opposite. And I don't know what it is, but maybe, maybe you have a situation that has gone from bad to worse. The dilemma has gone from hard to brutal. The relationship has gone from difficult to impossible. Your faith has gone from a flicker to burnt out. Have you lost hope? The disciples, they were scared and they were, they were trying to figure out their next steps. And some of them, they just went back to their old jobs. Some did nothing and felt duped. But when Sunday came, Jesus showed up and blew their paradigms. He was alive and their hope was renewed. Friday was dark. Jesus was dead. Hope was gone. But that Sunday morning changed everything. It was bright. Jesus was alive and hope had been restored. Your current struggles may feel like a Friday moment, but friends, remember resurrection Sunday always comes. Resurrection power gives you hope. The third thing it does is resurrection power brings life to dead things. Jesus was dead, but by the power of God, he walked outta that tomb. And Paul tells us here that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in our lives today bringing restoration, healing and transformation. And so friend, whatever, whatever is dead in you, your faith, your dreams, your relationships, your soul, resurrection power brings life. On that Sunday morning, God breathed life back into Jesus. And today, whatever dead end situation you are in, God can breathe new life into you. Are you living in Friday and Sunday seems like the furthest thing away? Listen, I don't know what kind of Friday you're living in. Maybe it's just the weight of your stuff, the bad choices. You don't think there's any way God can look at you with anything other than repulsion or rejection. It's the guilt and shame and they're just overwhelming you. Maybe it's how you've been burned by Christians or even the church. You've seen judgmentalism hypocrisy and toxicity. It's actually wrecked you a bit. It's turned you away from God, not closer to him. And it's hard for you because faith just seems a little bit dead right now. Maybe it's a hole in your heart that has been caused from tragedy. And I'm sorry if that's you. Tragedy is super hard. Maybe you lost your husband to cancer or your child to an accident. Death has engulfed you and at times the weight has made it feel like you can hardly breathe. Maybe it's a situation you can't see your way out of and you feel helpless, defeated, or lost. The burden is too heavy and you sense, man, this could actually be the end for me. I don't know what your specifics are. I don't know what your Friday is. I just know you like me, probably have one. And whatever your Friday is, it doesn't end on Friday. It ends on Sunday. God can breathe new life into it. Why? Because the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you and that power helps you see differently, gives you hope, and brings life to dead things. So may you stop living in Friday. The real ending of Friday happen on Sunday. Yet so many of us tend to live as if Sunday never came. But here's the good news. Sunday did come embrace that Jesus is alive. And by faith in him, your life can be forever changed. That dead end situation can be forever redeemed. Your circumstances can be forever lighter. Hope that he listen to me. God loved you so much that he sent his son Jesus to die for you. And here's the great news. He didn't stay dead. He rose and is now seated at the right hand of God. So whatever is going on in your world, whatever your Friday feels like, listen to me. I'm convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor death, nor anything else in all creation will ever be able to separate you from the love of Christ that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Absolutely nothing will be able to hold you back from God's love. The resurrection screams, I can do anything it shouts. Friend, you can be free and you no longer have to be tied down by all those weights. It declares your life matters and you have a savior and his name is Jesus. And so no matter what, today, tomorrow, or the future holds, we have one we can count on and put our total trust and confidence in. It's Easter weekend. Jesus is alive. And you wanna know my prayer for you. It's this. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. The richest of his glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believed that power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. That power helps you see things differently. It gives you hope. And to breathe life to dead things that power says, I'm gonna do something the world has never ever seen before. I'm gonna raise Jesus back to life. Yeah, listen, Friday might seem dead, but the story doesn't end there. It ends on Sunday. So do not live as if Sunday never came live because Sunday did come. And so we celebrate. Jesus is alive. We declare death could not hold him. He silenced the boast of sin and the grave. He has no rival. He has no equal now and forever, God, you reign. And so hope that if you're able to, I'm gonna ask you to stand across all our campuses right now. I'm gonna say this King's Way campus. Jesus is alive to Willer campus. Jesus is alive. All of you joining our online campus, Jesus is alive. And to everyone in the house at Millwood campus, Jesus is alive. Come on. And so we're gonna sing an awesome declaration about our powerful God, about the victory that he won, about the wonderful, incredible, and magnificent name of Jesus. That same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you friends. So let's sing this together. Death could not hold you. Death could- Not hold you before you silence- Roaring your people are let's church- The priest.- There's no equal to our God. He's the king of king. He's the Lord of Lord. He's our Jesus who is alive. He's our Jesus who is our savior. For see, to Him God, you above all see to him won a powerful, powerful name.- What a what? What a what? Yeah,- Let's pray. Jesus, we declare that you are the all powerful one. We are so grateful that the grave couldn't hold you, that you rose and you rose victoriously. And so we celebrate that today. We own that today. God, we declare that today Jesus is alive and that changes absolutely everything for our lives. And so I pray that you help my friends here to just recognize how resurrection power helps them see life in a different way. How resurrection power brings hope and how it brings life to dead things. And I pray for my friends here today who are walking through a situation where they just need some hope. May the God of hope, the living God of hope, breathe life into it. May the living God of peace bring peace into it. May the living God of miracles bring miracles into it. God, I ask that they walk in assurance and fullness in confidence and strength of a savior who isn't dead, but he's alive of a savior who has their life in the palm of their hands. That they can trust you, they can look to you, they can depend upon you, and they can say, God, my life is fully yours. And walk in that assurance. And so I pray that over them and for them in your powerful name, Jesus. Maybe you're joining us across our campuses and you're here today and it's Easter Sunday. You came with a friend or family member and you have never made the decision to put your faith in Jesus. Or maybe you did years ago and it's just kind of fallen by the wayside. And if you're here today and you're saying today, I wanna commit my life to Christ, I said it. Jesus went to the cross to die for you friend. He loves you so much that he gave his life for you. And he desires to walk in a relationship with you. And all you need to do is confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised them from the dead. And that's it. And you begin that journey with them. And yeah, it changes everything about our life and we move forward in a different perspective. But it begins with a decision. And so if you feel a tugging on your heart this Easter, why don't you just say, God, I give you my life and I'm gonna pray a prayer that just helps you put into words that initial beginning. So why don't you pray with me if that's you, Jesus, today I see my need for you. And I thank you for going to the cross. I thank you for dying for my sins and rising and offering me life and hope both now and forever. And so today I put my faith in you. I put my trust in you. I believe in who you are and I desire to follow you all the days of my life. I wanna make you Lord and leader of my life. So help me pattern my ways after yours. And I thank you that I get to do that on this Easter Sunday. And God, I pray over every individual, every couple, and every family. I ask that as they go into this week, may you just surround them. May you be present in all aspects of their life. May they know God that they can depend upon you and trust you. But I pray that as they leave this place, the reality of arisen savior absolutely changes everything of how they go about life, how they face tomorrow, and how they tr trust and walk with you. And so God, I pray that blessing over and for these people in your powerful name Jesus. Amen. You know, if you prayed that prayer of surrendering your life to Christ this morning, first time rededication, I wanna say a way to go. I'm just gonna ask you to scan the QR code that's on the screen. It's also on the seatbacks in front of you. There's a digital booklet that we'd love to give you and you can get it that way. And it also helps us as a church get to know you personally.'cause we're a pretty big church. We would love to put a personal connection there. I wanna say, if you're new here today and you're joining us, we would love to get to know you and meet you. We have a guest lounge located basically on the right side of our cafe as soon as you get out of the stores. And why don't you go visit some of our team there. They would love to say hello and answer any questions you may have about our church. I also wanna say this on your way out, every single one of you is gonna get a little little basket, not a basket, um, bag full of chocolate eggs. And it's just 'cause we love you guys. All right? So we're doing that for you. But before you leave, I want to do one more thing. There's a traditional Easter greeting that Christians have said to each other for centuries on Easter Sunday. So one person would walk up to someone else and say he has risen, and that person would respond with he has risen indeed. And so I'm gonna say he has risen. And church as loud as you can. Like let's raise this roof. You're gonna say back to me. He has risen indeed. And at the count of three, you guys ready for this? All right. The count of three. Here we go. 1, 2, 3. He has risen. Yes. Come on. Yeah. Thank you for joining us today at Hope City. Jesus is alive. Go and live in that reality. God bless you guys.