What's Next?

Whether you heard the message from Sunday or are part of one of our “What’s Next” groups at Venture, here’s a way for you to go deeper.

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This Week's Study

1 Corinthians 15:14-15 (Message Version) says:
If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications if there’s no resurrection.

Many who are skeptical about Christianity will at least acknowledge that Jesus was a good teacher who lived, was arrested and crucified, and was buried. But when it comes to the resurrection there is uncertainty, or sometimes outright hostility, because if Jesus conquered death then we must decide what we will do with him. Will we surrender our lives to him? Will we declare that the only way to God is through faith in him? The resurrection matters.

Easter is all about the resurrection, and there are only so many logical ways the “disappearance” of Jesus’ body after his burial can be explained. Simply either: he fainted and was not actually dead, or those who saw him alive after his death were hallucinating and didn’t actually see Jesus (which means his body should have remained in the tomb), or the disciples lied when they said they saw him alive after he was buried (meaning they stole and hid his body after it was buried). Because each of these doesn’t stand the test of even basic common sense and simple historical facts, the only remaining explanation is that Jesus, God in human form, died, was buried and was RESURRECTED from death.

And if the resurrection happened, it answers the three biggest questions humans have about life and eternity:
Is Jesus God?
Did Jesus die on the cross for the sins of humanity?
Did Jesus rise from the grave?

The resurrection means Jesus IS God.
It means he died on the cross for your and my sins.
And it means he rose from the grave, conquering sin and death and making the way for us stand right before God.

1 Corinthians 15:20 declares: Christ has INDEED been raised from the dead!

The question remains, what will YOU do with the resurrection?
What will YOU do with Jesus and the life he offers you?

Questions to Consider:

John 3:16 is a well known scripture for most Americans. We see that reference at many sporting events, and it’s likely one of the most quoted scriptures in all of the Bible. Thoughtfully read John 3:16-17. What does this verse mean to you? What does this mean for all of humanity?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. Martin Luther referred to this verse as something called “The Great Exchange.” This basically means that Jesus took the punishment for our sin and let us off the hook. What does knowing that Jesus died and took all of our sin for us so that we wouldn’t have to pay the penalty change for you? How can that understanding shape your future?
What is the sin that is weighing you down and holding you back from living the life you were really meant to live? What would it look like to give this to Jesus and exchange that for His righteousness?
When we given our sin and brokenness to Jesus, in exchange, He grants us His righteousness. By taking on our sin, Jesus removes us from the punishment and restores our broken relationship with Him and the Father. How does knowing that you are the righteousness of God change the way in which you live? How does knowing that you have an unbroken relationship with God because of Jesus, change your perspective?
The Great Exchange is the greatest demonstration of love … EVER! What holds you back from fully accepting God’s love? How can you begin to live in the full acceptance of God’s love for you?