SERMON NOTES WITH APPLICATION

SERMON SERIES: Looking In All The Wrong Places

Message Title: HE IS NOT HERE, HE HAS RISEN – Pt. I

Text: Luke 24:1–8 (NIV) Key Verse: Luke 24:5 – "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"

BIG IDEA:

Jesus’ resurrection isn’t just a historical event to celebrate—it’s an everyday reality that calls us to live higher, love deeper, and look forward with hope. We don’t have to stay stuck in dead places. Resurrection means we rise too.

1️️⃣ BE FREE FROM WHAT WAS (vv. 1–3)

TEXT FOCUS: The women came with spices, expecting death. But Jesus had already shifted the story.

LIFE TRUTH: They came looking for closure, but found an open door. We often carry habits, griefs, assumptions, and stories that no longer serve us. But God has already moved on. Have we?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

• Let go of expired expectations. Just because something used to be true doesn't mean it's still true. Are you still making decisions based on old wounds, outdated beliefs, or dead-end routines?

• Check the tombs in your life. Where are you showing up expecting death—no change, no hope, no life? Could be your job, a relationship, your mental state, or even your self-talk.

• Ask God: What have I buried that You’ve already raised?

DAILY PRACTICE: Write down one area of life where you’ve been showing up with a “spice kit” (trying to manage decay). Pray and release it. Don’t carry what Christ has already resurrected.

2️️⃣ BE PRESENT IN YOUR WHAT IS (vv. 4–5)

TEXT FOCUS: In their confusion, heavenly messengers asked, *"Why are you looking for the living among the dead?"

LIFE TRUTH: Sometimes we’re so focused on what was that we miss what is. We chase old versions of ourselves, old relationships, even old church traditions—while God is doing a new thing, right in front of us.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

• God is not afraid of your confusion. The women were confused, but God still sent messengers. Confusion is not a sin—staying stuck in it is.

• Stop rehashing dead things. Instead of rehearsing “what went wrong,” ask, what is God doing right now?

• Practice presence. Some of us are physically present but mentally still living in the past or worrying about the future. Be where your feet are.

DAILY PRACTICE: Set 5 minutes a day to pause, breathe, and say: "God, help me see what You’re doing in my right now." Practice presence in your conversations, your work, and your home.

3️️⃣ BE ALERT FOR YOUR PROMISE (vv. 6–8)

TEXT FOCUS: “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you…”

LIFE TRUTH: Resurrection is real—but if you don’t remember the promise, you’ll miss the power. The women didn’t get it—until they remembered. The promises of God are your anchor. Your past doesn’t define you—His promise does.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

• Live like the promise is true. God said you’re free. Loved. Called. Equipped. Victorious. So why live like you’re not?

• Train your memory. If you only remember what’s wrong, you’ll live wrong. Rehearse God’s word and His faithfulness.

• Faith is remembering forward. Your future is shaped by what you choose to recall today.

DAILY PRACTICE: Make a “Promise Playlist” – a list of 3–5 scriptures or truths about who God says you are. Read or speak them every morning this week. Let your faith shape your focus.

🔁 DISCIPLESHIP REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. What’s something I’ve been carrying that no longer fits who I am becoming in Christ?

2. Where might I be expecting death (no change) when God has already moved?

3. What promise do I need to remember to live differently this week?

🗣️ CLOSING ENCOURAGEMENT:

He is not here. He has risen.That means you can rise too.Rise from shame.Rise from stagnation.Rise from surviving into thriving.This Resurrection is not just His story—it’s your story too.