Salt + Light Fort Worth

Um, If I haven't gotten the chance
to meet you yet, my name is Ben

and I get to be on the servant
leadership team of Salt and Light.

Um, and I'm honored to spend
a few hours with you on this

lovely resurrection Sunday.

Um, if you're a follower of Jesus, you
know that this is the day that we've

been talking about for a few weeks.

This is the day we frankly
talk about every Sunday.

Uh, this is the day
that changes everything.

This is the day where everything
becomes real and everything matters.

Um, and if you're here and you're
not a follower of Jesus, thank

you for, for, for being here.

Whether you're here for friends, for
family, uh, for some traditions, this

kind of stuff we're honored that you've
chosen to spend, uh, a little bit

of time this Easter morning with us.

Um.

And, uh, we're, we're just,
we're just thrilled and, and,

and glad that you're here.

So, um, if you know me well, which a
few of you do, um, you may know that

I always have a murder mystery audio
book going, judge me, if you will.

I think they're super fun to
try to figure out the puzzle

before the protagonist does.

Uh, it is fun to kind of get lost
in the world of fiction at times.

Whether you like murder mysteries or
others, a lot of us can agree with that.

Um, and some of the best
murder mysteries out there.

Um, our Arthur Conan Doyle's
Sherlock Holmes series.

If you haven't read 'em okay.

One person agrees with me.

Um, if you haven't read 'em,
maybe you've seen the movie.

The TV show books are always better.

Um, and, and it is just incredible to
see this, this, this iconic character,

this detective just chip away at whatever
case he's working on until he solves it.

And there's this one line in
one of the Sherlock Holmes

stories that captures his method.

And this is what it says.

It's gonna be up on the screen.

It says, when you have eliminated
the impossible, whatever remains,

however improbable must be the truth.

If you, once you've eliminated
the impossible, whatever remains,

however improbable must be the truth.

Before we go on, let's just
acknowledge you've got a sweet

mustache, because I know that's
actually what you were distracted by.

Um, like that's a good line.

That's just a good line.

In general, it's, it's
helpful for solving puzzles.

It's helpful for kind of chipping
away at, at different things.

Um, helpful for solving
murder and mysteries.

I wanna submit, it's also the
kind of logic that some of us

need when it comes to Easter.

It's the kind of logic that some of us
need when it comes to Easter, because

the resurrection seems impossible.

Is that fair?

Resurrection seems impossible,
but what if it's just improbable?

What if it's just improbable?

The resurrection is hard to accept.

We can, most of us agree with that.

If you've never doubted the
resurrection, man, like I have

so much respect for your faith.

It's a hard thing to accept.

But followers of Jesus believe
that the resurrection is 100% true.

So if you haven't been around salt
and light for the last month, we've

considered the concept of doubt and doubt,
specifically related to the resurrection

because the core of the Christian faith
is that Jesus of Nazareth was a real man.

We also believe he was fully God.

A real man who was crucified by
the Roman authorities and actually

died, but then in something that
seems impossible, we believe that

God raised Jesus from the dead.

That's a bold claim that that is, that
that is a claim that defies logic.

It is literally something
that is supernatural.

It's improbable.

But over and over again this month, we've
seen examples of Jesus meeting people

in their doubt and showing them that
Easter is true, the resurrection is true.

And because it is Easter and the
resurrection offers good news

to all people, whether you're
a follower of Jesus or not.

And so today, on, on Easter, on this
overt day that Christians around the

world celebrate Jesus' resurrection,
I just want to want to consider

three things with you that if.

If true, if the resurrection is
true, then these things are true.

But if the resurrection is not true,
then these things also are untrue

because even if the resurrection seems
impossible, there's a way to doubt

that is hopeless and there's also a
way to doubt that's really hopeful.

I wanna see the resurrection, though it
is improbable, we can approach it with

hope, we can approach it with trust,
and we want to trust it to be true.

So will you pray with
me, um, as we get in?

Jesus, thank you for the example
of Thomas and your disciples that

we've seen over the past few weeks.

Thank you for letting us doubt.

Thank you for meeting us in our doubt.

Thank you for your compassion When
we doubt thank you that you're

true, even though we doubt would
you meet us in our doubt even today.

In your name we pray, amen.

Alright, so three things that are
true if the resurrection is true,

first, if the resurrection is true,
then Jesus' death must also be true.

Fair seems obvious, but to raise
from the dead, Jesus had to be dead.

Dead.

There you go.

Most religions and most historians
will believe that Jesus was a real

man, that he was a first century
rabbi, that he was a prophet.

Most religions and historians
believe that most religions and

historians also believe that Jesus was
literally crucified on a cross near.

Jerusalem Jesus'.

Life and death is rarely credibly debated.

It's rarely debated, but though there's
little doubt about Jesus' death,

there's a reality we celebrate today
that goes beyond the facts of his

death, and that's that Jesus didn't
just die, but he died for your sin.

He died for all sin.

He died for the world's sin.

He died for every sin.

Salt and light started 2025 by walking
through Genesis, and what we saw is

God created the world to be perfect.

Creation was perfect,
relationships were perfect.

Work and rest were perfect.

Everything was perfect.

And whether you're hearing you claim
to follow Jesus or not, you don't.

You don't have to look far.

You go, man, and nothing,
nothing feels perfect.

Creation does not feel perfect.

Relationships do not feel perfect.

Work and rest do not feel perfect.

Nothing feels perfect.

Like we can't fathom perfection.

We can't fathom perfection.

Why can't we fathom perfection?

'cause we look around and everything
seems so broken, so disjointed.

We look around, everyone seems so divided
and filled with hate and confused.

And God would say that all
that brokenness is a result of.

Sin.

The world is broken, people are broken.

We're all broken every time
we choose some authority.

But God, every time we define right and
wrong, other than God's definition, every

time we feel unjustified anger, or greed
or lust, whether we choose to do anything

about it or not, every time we experience
that God, God would call that sin.

If we raised our hands, we'd be
like, yeah, everyone in the room has

felt that you're in good company.

Everyone since the New Testament
book called Romans says it like

this, there's none righteous,
no, not one, not one understands.

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside.

This is who we all are, and as hard as
we try, if you're really honest, you know

some of the brokenness in you and you
know the ways you've tried to fix it, and

you know there's no way to fix yourself.

And no matter how hard you try,
you know there's no way to fix

the world, and this is why.

As strange as it sounds, Jesus'
death is really good news.

This is why every year my kids ask
me, why is it called Good Friday?

This is why Good Friday is called good.

This is why we want Jesus' death and
resurrection to be true, because from the

moment that sin and brokenness entered
the world way back in Genesis three.

From that moment where sin into the
world, God promised a way to fix it.

Here's some of what we read
already from one Corinthians.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith
is futile and you are still in your sins.

This is what Paul's saying.

This is what the Bible teaches.

This is what God's promise
says, that God's sinless son

died for the sins of the world.

God's sinless son died
for the sins of the world.

If the resurrection is true,
then Jesus's death is also true.

And only hear me only
if Jesus' death is true.

Can sin be forgiven?

Only if Jesus' death is true?

Can brokenness be restored?

Only if Jesus's death is true?

Is God's promise fulfilled?

Even if you doubt Jesus'
death offers you hope.

Jesus' death offers you good news.

So that's the first reality.

That's true if the resurrection is true.

The second reality that's
true, if the resurrection is

true, is that Jesus is alive.

Kids follow the logic on me.

If something's not dead, it is alive.

You did it.

Is it hard to believe that Jesus is alive?

Adults and kids?

Yes.

That can be hard.

That can seem impossible.

And if you doubt this death to
life story, I wanna submit again.

You're in really good company.

Some of Jesus's first followers
didn't believe that either.

But Jesus and his compassion and grace
met each in their doubt and showed

him himself to be truly fully alive.

Jesus proved that the improbable was true.

Thomas.

For example, who we looked at a
couple weeks ago demanded proof.

And you know what?

Jesus didn't rebuke him.

Jesus didn't scoff at him.

Jesus met Thomas in his proof and
said to Thomas, this is from John 20.

Put your finger here and see
my hands and put, put out your

hand and place it in my side.

Do not disbelieve but believe
this is what Thomas demanded.

He said, I won't believe
until I touch Jesus' wounds.

And what did Jesus say?

Then come and touch my wounds.

What do you need?

I'll meet you in that.

And then after that, Gabe already read
this, but Jesus appeared CEUs, which

is the Greek name for Peter, and then
to the 12, and then he, he appeared to

more than 500 brothers and also sisters.

Beyond that, at one time,
most of whom are still alive,

though some have fallen asleep.

That means died.

And then he appeared to James
and then all the apostles.

Now, why are lists like this in the Bible?

Why are lists like this
important for today?

It's 'cause there were no iPhone captures.

There was no social media, there
were no breaking news alerts in

the first century Roman Empire.

So proof that any claim was true
would be established by naming people

who you could go ask, who could
give you their eyewitness testimony.

Who could give you their eyewitness
testimony that that's how courts worked.

That's how proof worked.

That's how law worked.

And if, and, and, and if just three
people corroborated the story that

in their culture was sufficient proof
that whatever the claim was was true,

that's what would hold up in court.

And so by saying Jesus appeared
to over 500 people, Paul's saying.

That Jesus appeared to 166 times
the minimum number of people

required to establish truth.

And so think of Easter and
Jesus' appearance, a little

bit like concentric circles.

It started with Mary.

Jesus showed himself to be alive
three days after he was legally

declared dead, not by his followers,
but by the Roman government.

He showed himself to Mary on Easter
morning in the garden, and Mary

doubted that Jesus was alive.

But then she started to believe as she
talked with Jesus, and then Mary went to

tell Peter and John and they doubted that
Jesus was alive, but then they believed

as they ran and saw the empty tomb.

And then Jesus appeared to other
doubting disciples who doubted,

but then started to believe as they
encountered Jesus and talked with Jesus.

And then Jesus appeared to Thomas,
who doubted, but then believed

as he touched Jesus' wound.

Also, notice how visceral this is.

It's when you hear Jesus'
voice touch Jesus' wounds.

Jesus appeared to two to two disciples
on the road away from Jerusalem.

They were abandoning hope.

They thought their Messiah, their leader,
their savior was dead, and they doubted

and then believed as Jesus broke bread.

So there's taste involved now.

And then Jesus proved himself to James.

Now James is Jesus' brother.

But James did not believe that
Jesus was the Messiah, the

Savior during James' life.

During Jesus' life before he died.

But later, James wrote this book in
the Bible called Uncreatively James.

What changed?

James went from doubt to belief.

Something changed and then Jesus
appeared to over 500 other followers.

And if I could add one more concentric
circle, Jesus' family and friends and

followers were not the only people
who offered proof of the resurrection.

Uh, Brad Watson, who was with us a
few weeks ago, showed us that first

century Jewish and Roman historians
would corroborate the story too.

They saw such a change in the small group
of Christ followers, that to them it

was undeniable that they believed Jesus.

Was alive, y'all, the resurrection
seems impossible, but it

is a hundred percent true.

Why does it matter that Jesus is alive?

Why might you ask Jesus to meet
you in your doubt like Thomas did?

If you believe that, that Jesus is alive?

Because only if Jesus is alive,
do you have true and eternal hope?

Only if Jesus is alive.

Do you have true and eternal hope?

I don't have to convince you.

Everyone on earth puts our
hope in something or someone.

Yes, we all put our hope in
something or someone please

make this right and fix this.

We plead.

Please satisfy me.

We demand solve this problem.

We ask and we ask that to our jobs, and
we ask that to our politicians and we

ask that to money and we ask that to
religion and we ask that to relationships.

And then our jobs don't satisfy us.

And politicians lie and break
promises and tariffs go up.

So stocks go down hypothetically, and
religion demands more and more of us.

And relationships turn sour.

And all these things happen because
we're putting our hope in temporary

things and temporary people
who can't help but let us down.

All of us have some example of that.

This isn't what I thought.

This isn't what it said it would be

As Jesus rose to new and eternal life.

God promises you new and
eternal life as well.

Followers of Jesus look
forward to an eternity.

When all of God's promises become
true and when all of creation, that

perfect, perfect reality that we can't
imagine, we look forward to a day

where God says he's going to recreate.

That creation will be restored
and sadness and pain will be gone,

and all relationships will be made
right again with God, with other

people, with the world around us.

The Bible says that Jesus was the first
to rise, but y'all, he's not the last.

He's not the last.

That is really, really good news.

In, in the improbability of the
resurrection, God promises you true and

eternal life, and then finally and related
if Jesus is true, if the resurrection

is true, then Jesus rose to life.

So you can have abundant life too.

You're not just promised abundant
life after you die, but there's

abundant life every day and today
and tomorrow when we stop our overt

celebration of the resurrection and
go back into normal Monday version of

celebrating the resurrection, which
for some of us is important and some

of us means we forget it until next
Easter and whatever else like the,

the resurrection matters tomorrow.

You have abundant life.

Later today and tomorrow and next week.

This common language in Christianity that
says Jesus died so you can go to heaven.

Jesus died so you can have eternal life.

That's true.

But while the resurrection promises true
in eternal life, it also changes life.

Today.

Jesus couldn't have said
this any clearer in John 10.

He said, I came that they may
have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus' resurrection ushered
in a new era of life on earth.

He appeared to his followers on earth.

His disciples lived out
their faith on earth.

For centuries and across the world,
because of our faith in Christ, followers

of Jesus have cared for the poor, sought
the welfare and justice of those around

them have preached truth, have sacrificed
for others, have left ease for God's sake.

Admittedly, there's been some
rough stuff we've done as well.

But Jesus's resurrection promises eternal
life, and also through the spirit,

Jesus's resurrection gives us power for
new belief and new action, and new hope

for an abundant life here as well.

Not an easy life, but a rich
life and a meaningful life.

This is how Paul said it.

If in Christ we have hope in this life,
only we above all people are to be pitied.

But if in fact, Christ has been
raised from the dead, but in fact,

excuse me, but in fact, Christ has
been raised from the dead, the first

fruits of those who have fallen asleep,

what Christ followers hope for.

The way we live, the way we spend
our time and our money and the way

we engage suffering, it should look
different from the rest of the world.

It's because we have
this deeper sustenance.

We have this deeper motive.

We do these weird things.

We live lives that people
think are pitiable.

People should look at us and think we're
a little crazy, but it's because our faith

is in something that's not temporary.

Our faith is in Jesus
who rose, who is alive.

And who invites you into abundant life?

So these are three realities
of the resurrection there.

There are innumerable more realities that
are true because of the resurrection,

but all three of these are only
true if the resurrection is true.

And so if the resurrection is
untrue, then these realities and

innumerable more, more are also untrue.

So, so follow me on this.

Without the resurrection,
there is no forgiveness.

Without the resurrection, we're left
in sin and brokenness with no way out.

No matter how hard you try
to make yourself in the world

better without the resurrection,
there's no true and eternal hope.

All your left to put your faith in
are the temporary things and people

around you that you know, 'cause
you've tried, they'll just let you

down over and over and over again.

And without the resurrection,
there's no abundant life.

And here's what I mean by that.

Everyone wants some meaningful life,
but statistics and studies and stories

will tell you, many people doubt
they'll ever find meaningful life.

Instead, their life's defined by anxiety.

Their life's defined by trying to
place their identity in something

that lets 'em down their life's
defined by fear, maybe just boredom.

Just this morning, the New York Times
put out an article that says this, people

are happier than they have ever been.

A little bit later, there's an epidemic
of loneliness a little bit later.

There's less peace and awe and gratitude
in the US than there has been in decades.

But in the improbable truth
of the resurrection, God

invites us to all those things.

And, and so here's the point.

Even if the resurrection is hard to
believe, and it's okay to admit, it's

hard to believe we should want the
resurrection to be true, even if it's hard

to believe we should want it to be true.

The resurrection is God's answer to so
many things that people seek, and you

seek 'em whether you follow Jesus or not.

And so doubt.

This is what we've been walking through.

If this is your first week
with us, just know we've been

walking through this as a church.

Doubt is okay.

Doubt can be good.

Hopeful questions about God
and truth, those are healthy.

They end up strengthening
our faith at times.

And so whether you follow Jesus or don't,
maybe maybe you doubt the resurrection.

Maybe you doubt Jesus.

Maybe you doubt this thing called
Christianity because of some

terrible experience you've had
that would cause me to doubt.

Maybe some deep hypocrisy, deep tragedy.

Maybe your doubt is based on logic.

The resurrection defies reality.

Yes, it does.

Maybe you doubt the resurrection
in Jesus and Christianity because

of some theological question.

If God is good, then.dot.

But again, Sherlock Holmes
can help us here when you've

eliminated the impossible.

Whatever remains, however
improbable must be true,

must be true.

The resurrection seems impossible.

There's lots of things
about the Christian faith.

There's lots of things about
any faith that seem impossible,

that's why it's called faith.

But over the past month, we've seen lots
of different types of proof that however

improbable it is, the resurrection.

It must be true God and the Old
Testament and even other religions

outside of Christianity, before
Jesus walked the earth, prophesy

and talk about the resurrection,
Jesus appeared after his death.

His followers and the Bible
affirm the resurrection.

non-Christian historians share about
the impact of the resurrection.

But we can look at proof all day and we
can go back and look at the number of

original sources and we can, we can do
all the things that people have done.

And still come to this.

Only God can help you believe
in your areas of doubt.

Only God can help you truly
believe in your areas of doubt.

Thankfully, that same God who can
help you believe is the one who alone

offers forgiveness in Jesus' death
and promises true and eternal hope in

Jesus's resurrection and invites you
to abundant life in Christ, even honor.

That God who can help is a good God,
who can and will meet you in your doubt

because he's been doing so for centuries
and in every culture across the world,

the resurrection seems impossible,
and the resurrection is 100% true.

The resurrection defies logic
and is inherently supernatural,

and the resurrection is the best,
most life changing, world changing

good news in all of history.

Do you believe that?

If you say yes, and if you call yourself
a follower of Jesus, then, then one of

the things we get to do, and we take
communion every time we take bread and

dip it into juicer wine, is we de we,
we declare and we remember this truth

that, that Jesus' life was given for
you and Jesus' death was given for you.