Join host Rick Hughes as he explores the profound significance of Easter Sunday, where the resurrection of Jesus Christ takes center stage. This episode delves into the critical questions of faith, examining the perception of Christ among His disciples and the public. Rick takes us through the trials and ultimate crucifixion of Jesus, providing a reflective account that encourages listeners to consider the power of Christ’s resurrection and its promise of eternal life for believers.
Welcome to the Flatline with your host, Rick Hughes. For the next 30 minutes, you’ll be inspired, motivated, educated, but never manipulated. Now, your host, Rick Hughes.
SPEAKER 01 :
Good morning and welcome to the Flatline. I’m your host, Rick Hughes, and for the next few minutes, please stick around. Just a short time of motivation, inspiration, education and and always without manipulation because we don’t try to con people. We’re not soliciting money. We’re not trying to sell anything. We just want you to listen. We want you to listen as we try to verify and identify God’s plan for your life, and hopefully you will orient and adjust to the plan. It’s a wonderful privilege of me that I have to be speaking to you this Easter Sunday morning. Thank you for giving me a few minutes of your time. I hope you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. It’s the single most important decision you’ll ever make in your life. The Bible said, What think ye of Christ? Paul asked the Roman jailer. What think ye of Christ? Who is he? Is he the Son of God or is he not? And the answer is yes, he is, and he died for you and he died for me. So please, if you’ve ever considered receiving Christ as your Savior, this would be the perfect day to do it. If you’re listening this morning, then you’re aware that it’s the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. For many individuals, it’s simply a day to dress up and go to church and Maybe hunt a few Easter eggs after church or go over to grandma’s house and have a dinner and hunt Easter eggs. I mean, I have seen some pretty bizarre things concerning the celebration of Easter. But when I think about it, one of the most obnoxious things I saw was in a town where they were selling chocolate crosses, chocolate crosses. I really, come on, my goodness. I have some important things to tell you concerning your very own resurrection, that’s for sure. because we’re celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So before I talk about your resurrection, let’s set the precedence for the Lord’s resurrection and what happened with him, because this day is a significant day for all believers. In Matthew 16, 21, from that time, Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem. and he would suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and be raised the third day. So he told the disciples right up front, they’re going to kill me and I will come back to life on the third day. How about that? I don’t know if they understood what he was saying, but that’s what he told them. Prior to this amazing statement, our Lord had asked the disciples to give a report on how people were perceiving him, what they thought he was, and here’s what they responded. They told him the latest gossip. Listen to Matthew 16, 14. So they said, some people say you’re John the Baptist, and some people say you’re Elijah. Others claim that you are Jeremiah, one of the prophets. So he then asked them directly, who do you think I am? Matthew 16, 15, and he said to them, but who do you say that I am? And it was here that Peter spoke up and said these words. Matthew 16, 16, Simon Peter said, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Our Lord was impressed with this insight and this faith that Peter demonstrated, and thus he replied to Peter. Jesus answered and said unto him, Matthew 16, 17, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. In Matthew 16, 20, our Lord warned the disciples. Listen, this is really interesting. He warned them not to be telling people who he was. In Matthew 16, 20, he commanded his disciples that they should not tell anyone that he was Jesus the Christ. And it was at this point that he informed them of what would happen once they went to Jerusalem. In Matthew 16, 21, from that time, Jesus began to show his disciples, the verse I already read to you once, I’ll read it again, that he must go to Jerusalem, that he would suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests, the scribes, and be killed and raised the third day. Every Christian that’s listening to me this morning should know by now that this is exactly what happened. Yes, he was arrested in Jerusalem. And yes, he was given a series of mock trials, several different mock trials, which ended in a judge saying he is not guilty. Listen to Luke 23, 13. Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priest, the rulers, and the people, he said to them, you have brought this man to me as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined him in your presence, I have found no fault in this man concerning those things which you accused him of. And neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him, and indeed, nothing deserving of death has been done by him. They didn’t like that. They didn’t like the way the judge ruled. They wanted the Lord Jesus Christ dead. And so in Luke 23, 23, they were insistent And Pilate could not stand against the wishes of this religious mob. It’s a shame, but here’s what they said. Luke 23, 23, but they were insistent, demanding with loud voices, crucify him. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed, and Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. Now, fortunately for you and I, this was exactly what God the Father planned all along. In 2 Corinthians 5, 21, it tells us, He, that’s God, made him who knew no sin, that’s Christ, to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The real truth is that you and I should have been on that cross. We’re the sinners, not him. He knew no sin. It’s our sin that put him there. Our Lord knew what his father’s plans were, and he was faithful to fulfill his mission. On the other hand, God the Father was faithful to finish the deed by resurrecting Christ from the dead just like he promised he would do. In Matthew 28, one through seven, now after the seventh, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb where Jesus was buried. And behold, there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. And his countenance was like lightning. and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men, frozen. And the angel answered and said to the women, don’t be afraid. I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified, but he is not here, for he is risen. And as he said, come and see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. And indeed, he is going before you into Galilee, and you will see him there. Behold, I’ve told you this.” Wow, can you imagine what happened? The public lie, you know, if you tell it often enough, loud enough, and long enough, people believe it. We have it today. It was around even in those days. So somebody had to make up a cover story. I mean, the body was missing. He was gone. So what happened to the body? In Matthew 28, 11 through 15, now while they were going, that’s why Mary and Magdalene and the other Mary were going to tell people, some of the guards came to the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, uh-oh, paying them off. And this is what they said, telling them, tell everybody that his disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor’s ear, we will appease him and make you secure. So they took the money, that’s the guards, and they did as they were instructed. This saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. So they claim the disciples came and stole the body. This leads us to a question. How will the lost world cover for your resurrection? Huh? How will the lost world cover your resurrection? for your resurrection. Yes, you’re going to be resurrected also. Did you know that? In 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18, but I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those that have fallen asleep, that’s dead, lest you sorrow as others that have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, do you believe that? Even so, God will bring with him those who are asleep in Christ Jesus. Those are the ones that are already in heaven. For this I say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will by no means go before those who are asleep, dead. For the Lord himself will ascend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. There you are, there’s your resurrection. And then we that are alive, we will be resurrected also. And remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. This is called the exit resurrection. This is known as the rapture of the church. And when that indeed occurs, there are people that are already dead and in heaven. They’re going to come back and get a resurrection body. There are people in the grave, get their resurrection body, yes. So those that are in heaven will come back and be reunited with their resurrection body. And if you and I are still alive, we will get a body that will last forever as well. Your resurrection and my resurrection is guaranteed by the Father. Did you know that? Just as he guaranteed the Lord Jesus Christ that he would not leave him in the grave, he guarantees you the same thing. In John 11, 25 through 26, Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? And in 1 Corinthians 15, 50 through 52. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. But I tell you a mystery that we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. There’s your resurrection. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. You will get a resurrection body that you will live in that body forever. And the Bible says the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, the heart has never felt the amazing things that God has for us. No more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow. It’ll all be gone. You will be resurrected. How will they cover for you? What will they say? Why is that grave open? Why is that tomb gone? Why is that body not there? What happened to that person? The believer’s resurrection will require a very special judgment. Did you know that? A very special judgment. What is that judgment I’m talking about? Well, your resurrection will require a judgment that will test your fidelity and maybe reward your fidelity, your faithfulness. So this judgment is not an evaluation of your salvation. No, it’s not what this is. The evaluation of salvation is the great white throne of judgment in Revelation 20, but you’re not at this. This is called the judgment seat of Christ. It’s a different judgment. This is the judgment seat of Christ. And this is why your spiritual life is so significant. This is why I keep harping on the understanding your spiritual life, why you must become a spiritually mature individual, what the spiritual life is and how it operates. called the judgment seat of christ and it’s taught in first corinthians 3 10-15 i want to read that passage to you but before i do let me explain what paul is referring to this evaluation that paul is referring to is exactly the reason why it’s critical that you have a mature spiritual life because if you don’t understand the protocol plan of god You’re gonna do all the right things in exactly the wrong way. And these type of good things that you’re gonna do are gonna be all rejected by God at the judgment seat of Christ. Because you did them in the energy of the flesh, not under the filling of the Holy Spirit. These good deeds or religious deeds that you are going to do under the energy of the flesh are called human good. There’s a distinct difference between human good and divine good because only divine good is rewardable at the judgment seat of Christ. Anything done in the act of worship must be done under the filling of the Holy Spirit or it will be rejected as human good. What does that mean? It means that any human could have done what you did. Lost people can go to church. Lost people can give money to the church. Lost people can do various good deeds, but it’s all produced in the energy of the flesh, thus it is not glorifying to God. If you want to hear, well done, my good and faithful servant, if you wish to be rewarded by God, then you must learn and apply the mechanics to the Christian life. Listen, let me give you a simple illustration. Consider the football player who ran for the touchdown. He ran across the goal line. He thought he scored. He spiked the ball. He jumped up and down. The crowd yelled, but the referee comes up and says, nope. You stepped out of bounds back on the 50-yard line before you ever crossed the goal line. It didn’t count. Now, this is exactly what’s going to happen to some of you. All that stuff you did for God is not going to count. Why? Because it was human good, not divine good. Now, listen to the scripture and consider what I’m about to tell you. In 1 Corinthians 3, 11 through 16, for another foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. So if we consider building a home, the first thing you’re gonna do is put down a concrete foundation. And that’s considered your spiritual life. That’s considered your salvation. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now you’re gonna build on the foundation. Verse 12, 1 Corinthians 3. If any man build upon the foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, that’s divine good production, or wood, hay, and stubble, that’s human good production. Verse 13, every man’s work should be made manifest. The day will declare it. It will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he has built thereupon, he will get a reward. And if any man’s work should be burned up, he will suffer loss. But he himself shall be saved, yet so is by fire. It may be possible you don’t have any rewards, but you’re still going to heaven because you have the foundation. Every endowment you’ve ever given, every prayer you ever prayed, every time you ever went to church, every time you ever did anything good for God, did you do it under the filling of the Holy Spirit or did you do it in the energy of the flesh? Because this is what the evaluation is about. It’s not about your salvation. It’s about your divine good production. And woe to the pastor who does not teach this. Now consider what you’ve heard. Use the filling of the Holy Spirit moment by moment. This is why Paul said in Ephesians 5.18, don’t be drunk with wine wherein there is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let’s back this up and think about it for a minute. Here you are and you have passed away and you’re in the presence of the Lord. The rapture takes place, you come back and you get reunited with your resurrection body and now we’re all there for the judgment seat of Christ and my name or your name is called front and center. Everything I’ve ever done, everything you’ve ever done, every radio show I ever produced, every dime I ever gave to my church, every person I ever witnessed to will be evaluated Did I do it in the energy of the flesh? Did I do it when I was filled with the Holy Spirit? Because I can do a radio show out of fellowship. I can witness to someone out of fellowship. I can give money to my church out of fellowship. What does that mean? It means I have unconfessed sin in my life. Anything I do in regards to God with unconfessed sin in my life is wood, hay, stubble. It’s no good. It’s human good. It will be burned up. Think about your life. Think about what you’ve done. Think about those things in your life that you consider to be good things you’ve done for the Lord. Are they wood, hay, and stubble? Or is it gold, silver, precious stones? You’re going to be resurrected and you’re going to be evaluated. No stone will be left unturned and God the Father will judge you because of this. And you want to hear him say, well done, my good and faithful steward. Yes, great. Think about this. This is why the spiritual life is so significant. And this is where Satan is winning the battle because people are not learning this. It’s not being taught from the pulpit. Let me just give you an example. When’s the last time you were in church and the pastor said, before we began our service this morning, we’re going to bow our heads, close our eyes, and give you a chance to rebound. That means give you a chance to deal with any known sin in your life and to confess it now. Because just because you’re seated in church, even on the front row, just because you’re in the choir doesn’t mean you’re glorifying God if you have unconfessed sin in your life. Let’s give you another example. Deacon Smith and Deacon Jones don’t like each other. They hate each other. And so the pastor calls on one of them to come up and lead in a prayer, and he gives this great prayer. However, he has unconfessed sin in his life because he hates that other guy in the congregation. That was a worthless prayer. It never got any higher than the ceiling, even though it may sound eloquent, it may sound nice because it was produced in the energy of the flesh. You know, the Bible says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Only God can evaluate what you’re doing. But you know as well as I know whether or not you’re in fellowship or out of fellowship. So let’s go back now. What about in your life this very moment, this very day, this Easter morning? Is there unconfessed sin in your life? Don’t go to church this morning thinking you’re going to glorify God without dealing with your sin first. Unconfessed sin in your life quenches and grieves the Holy Spirit. You’re warned in the Bible, do not grieve the Spirit of God whereby you’re sealed until the day of redemption. And you’re warned in the Bible, don’t quench the Spirit of God. Your spiritual life cannot operate in the energy of the flesh. Your spiritual life cannot glorify God in the energy of the flesh. I mean, unbelievers can be moral. Unbelievers can do nice things just like you. The only difference between you and them is you have a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and you have the filling of the Holy Spirit which empowers you and manifests God’s presence in your life. If you’re not a Christian, this is something you need to consider because you are going to be evaluated also but at a different throne. You’re going to be resurrected. Yes, you are. You’re going to be resurrected in Revelation chapter 20 to the great white throne of judgment. And you’re going to be evaluated on two things. First of all, is your name in the Lamb’s book of life? And the answer is no, it is not. What happened? Well, your name was put in there when you were born, but you died without having accepted Christ and your name was blotted out. And your name is not in the Lamb’s book of life. So then you’re going to have another chance. And the books, the Bible says books, plural is going to be open. And that’s the books of your deeds, all those good deeds you did. And so you’re going to be able to say, but wait a minute, I did this and I did that. And the Bible says, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did I not prophesy in your name? And in your name, did I not cast out devils? And in your name, did I not do many wonderful deeds? And he said, I will tell them, I never knew you. Does God know you? Have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ to be your savior? You know, the Bible says, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it’s a gift of God. Lest anyone should brag about it. If you think you’re going to heaven because you’re good, you’re dead wrong. If you think you’re going to heaven because you joined the church, you’re dead wrong. If you think you’re going to heaven because you got baptized, you’re dead wrong. Paul the Apostle said, God did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. and not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. What gets you saved? How do you get saved? Faith alone and Christ alone. It’s that simple. You can bow your head right now and pray and guarantee that you’ll be at the correct resurrection, not the wrong one, not the bad one, but the good one. Yes, the judgment seat of Christ. That’s all you have to do. The Bible says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It’s all I did. I mean, I just bowed my head and I said, God, I’m a sinner. And I believe Christ died for me. And I want to accept him as my Savior and my Lord. And I didn’t feel it. I mean, it didn’t make me tingle or anything like that, but it happened. Because God’s not a liar. He did exactly what he said he would do. And thus, because of my act of faith alone in the work of Christ alone, I’m guaranteed that I will be at the resurrection where we call it the judgment seat of Christ where my works will be evaluated. Every sermon I ever preached, every person I ever talked to, Every deed I ever did will be evaluated whether or not I did it in the energy of the flesh or whether I did it under the power of the Spirit. And if I did it under the filling of the Holy Spirit, then that’s called divine good, and that is rewardable. And if I did it under the energy of the flesh, that’s human good, and that’s wood, hay, and stubble. Then be burned up. It doesn’t count. But you, on the other hand, you may be at the wrong resurrection. You will be at the great white throne of judgment. Uh-oh, and your name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life because you’ve rejected Christ. You put it off. You said, I got plenty of time. I don’t have to worry about it right now. I’ll do it later. That’s the dumbest thing you ever did in your life. Now is the day of salvation. The Bible says today believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. You want to know why you’re miserable? You want to know why your life is miserable? Because of this very thing. You are beating your head against the wall and you can’t make it. God has a wonderful plan for your life, wonderful provisions for your life, and it all starts with your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. So go to God and tell him you’re a sinner. Tell him you want to accept Christ as your savior. Tell him you’re willing to receive him today, and it’ll be the single most significant decision you’ll ever make. Then you will guarantee that you will be at the correct resurrection, the judgment seat of Christ. And from that day on, you can build the gold, silver, and precious stones by learning the Word of God, operating under the filling of the Holy Spirit, using the faithless drill, using grace orientation, using personal and impersonal love. You’ll be able to share the happiness of God and be occupied with Christ. These are all problem-solving devices. If you don’t know what they are, get in touch with me. We have a bookmark. I’ll list all 10 of them. And we have a book that explains all 10 of them to you. This is your life. You have to get it right. You only got one shot at it. Why mess it up? Why not get it right today? So I hope you’re listening. I hope you’re paying attention. I mean, this is as serious as I can be for you. This day, Easter Day, year 2023, is an amazing time for you. It’s a time that you can trust the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior. And you can have a new life beginning this day. Wouldn’t that be amazing? A new life beginning this day. A new life in Christ Jesus. All because you took one act of faith. And you said, Father, I believe Christ died for me. And I’m willing to trust him and accept him as my Savior. I hope you will. Won’t you let me know if you do? Contact me through our website. If you trusted Christ today, let me know. I got something I want to get to you. A book that’s very important called Crash Course in Christianity. I’ll send it to you free, but you got to contact me or I won’t know it. Or give us a call at 800-831-0718. 800-831-0718. And our website again is rickhughesministries.org. rickhughesministries.org. There you’ll find all our material available and our books on tape you can listen to on the website. A lot of information for you there. I’m so proud to have the privilege to bring you this information, and it’s my prayer that God would use this show this Easter morning to challenge and change you. That’s my prayer that I ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So until next Sunday, this is your host, Rick Hughes, saying thank you so much for listening to The Floodline.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to The Floodline with your host, Rick Hughes. If you’d like to contact Rick, please write to him at P.O. Box 100, Cropwell, Alabama, 35054, or online at www.rickhughesministries.org.
