The Quiet Before Everything Changed: Easter Saturday's Hidden Hope | John 19:38-20:10

It's the weird one between Good Friday's crucifixion and Easter Sunday's resurrection. The filler episode. The Saturday when, as a kid, Brayden would wake up annoyed: "Still no chocolate?!"

But Easter Saturday isn't filler. Brayden slows down to dwell in a moment most churches skip over. It's the moment when the disciples aren't filled with anticipation, but devastation. For them, the story's over.

But John tells this story carefully, slowly, inviting us to see three crucial truths:

1. Jesus Really Died

John 19 begins with the burial. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both secret disciples who feared the Jewish leaders, suddenly step forward with courage. Joseph asks Pilate for Jesus' body (a request requiring enormous courage). Nicodemus brings 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, the honour normally given to a king.

These quiet, cautious followers become bold. While the public disciples fled in fear, the secret disciples stepped up. God uses the unexpected.

They wrap Jesus with spices and linen according to Jewish burial customs. They place Him in a nearby tomb where no one has been laid. John includes these details for a reason: Jesus was truly dead. The burial was public, witnessed, and real.

If Jesus didn't truly die, the resurrection is meaningless. John leaves no room for doubt.

2. The Tomb Really Was Empty

Mary Magdalene sees the stone has been moved. She immediately runs to Peter and John: "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have put him."

The assumption is: Grave robbery. Not resurrection.

Inside, they see something strange: The linen wrappings are there. The cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head is folded separately. If someone had stolen the body, they wouldn't have stopped to unwrap it neatly and arrange the burial clothes.

Grave robbing would be hurried, chaotic. This scene is orderly. The body is gone.

Faith begins here—in the tension between confusion and belief. They believe something has happened, but they don't fully understand what it means yet. Their belief comes before full understanding.

3. The Resurrection Transforms Everything

John leaves us with a question: The tomb is empty. Why?

History offers possibilities:

• The body was stolen? Doesn't explain the neatly folded grave clothes.
• The disciples invented the story? They're confused and afraid, not bold conspirators. And the first witness is Mary Magdalene—a woman whose testimony wasn't valued in the first century. If you're inventing a story, that's not the detail you include.

The simplest explanation: Jesus rose from the dead. And if that's true, everything changes. The cross wasn't defeat—it was victory. Sin is dealt with. Death itself has been defeated. Easter declares that death does not have the final word.

Hope is no longer wishful thinking. It's reality.

New life is possible—not just someday in the future, but beginning now. The fearful disciples become courageous witnesses. The power of the resurrection is already changing lives.

In a quiet morning, in a garden, an empty tomb, a few confused followers realize something extraordinary has happened.

The tomb is empty. Consider what it means. Ask yourself the same question the disciples faced: What if it's true?

Because if Jesus really rose from the dead, then death is not the end. Hope is real. And a new kind of life is possible.

Series: New Life (Easter 2026)
Speaker: Brayden
Scripture: John 19:38-20:10

Would you rather have Jesus physically beside you or the Holy Spirit living inside you?

At first, it seems like an obvious answer, of course we'd want Jesus right here with us! Jai tackles one of the most profound truths in Christianity: "Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you" (v. 7).

Wait, it's good that Jesus left? It's better to have the Spirit than Jesus Himself physically present?

When Jesus was on earth, He was bound by physical limitations. If you wanted to be with Him, you had to be where He was. But when the Spirit comes, God is present with all of us. Always. Everywhere. The very Spirit of God dwells in every believer.

If we trust in Jesus, we are never alone. God is with you. You have 24/7 access to Him. No priest, no pastor, direct access through prayer, anytime, anywhere.

But the Spirit doesn't just give us constant access to God. He does three crucial things:

1. The Spirit Convicts of Sin (v. 9) - Not just "doing bad stuff," but the ultimate sin: not trusting Jesus. He exposes both sides of self-reliance; thinking "I'm good enough for God" OR "I'm too messed up for God." Both are you trying to be in control. The Spirit says: You're not in control. God is.

2. The Spirit Convicts of Righteousness (v. 10) - He doesn't just expose the problem; He shows us the solution. And it's not "try harder." It's this: Jesus lived the life you could never live, died the death you deserve, rose in victory, and gives you what He deserves, not what you deserve. Righteousness is received, not earned.

3. The Spirit Convicts of Judgment (v. 11) - Evil has been defeated. The cross isn't loss—it's victory. Satan, sin, death—defeated once and for all.

The question isn't whether Jesus is admirable. The question is: What will you do with this Jesus? You can't just take the golden rule and reject Jesus as Saviour. If He is who He says He is, you have to follow Him. Surrender all to Him.

And here's the beautiful part: The Spirit doesn't bring random new ideas or teaching. He points us deeper into Jesus—what Jesus has already done and will do. He illuminates God's Word and applies it to our daily lives. Ever opened the Bible and thought, "Wow, that's exactly what I needed right now"? That's the Spirit at work.

The Spirit's Primary Role: Make Jesus Bigger

The Holy Spirit doesn't point to Himself, to you, to experiences, or even to church. He points to Jesus. Everything the Spirit does is about making Jesus bigger, so we see Him clearly, know Him clearly, love Him more, rejoice in Him more, treasure Him above everything else.

Here's the test for whether something is from the Spirit: Does it make Jesus bigger in your life? Does it deepen your love for Jesus? Is it centred on Jesus? If not, it's not from the Spirit.

The question is simple: Will you listen? Will you respond? Will you follow Jesus?

Series: Revealing Jesus (John 13-17)
Speaker: Jai
Scripture: John 16:4-15

"I hate these moths." "I hate that guy." "I hate you, Mom!"

We use the word "hate" casually these days, it's flippant, attached to immediate emotions. But when Jesus uses the word "hate" in John 15, He's talking about something far deeper and far more serious than Michael Scott hating Toby from The Office.

Why does the world hate Jesus? And why will it hate us?

The answer isn't comfortable, but it's essential: Jesus is divisive. Not because He's aggressive, vindictive, or engaging in rage-inducing clickbait. He's divisive because He's the light of the world. And when light exposes darkness, people don't always respond well.

From the very beginning, before creation itself, Jesus has been divisive. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). Following Jesus is a choice between light and darkness. There's no middle ground. You're either with Him or against Him.

Because Jesus divides, He also exposes us for who we really are, fallen humans desperately in need of a Saviour. "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin" (v. 22). The light exposes those living in darkness.

But here's the shocking part: We've been chosen by the divisive Son of God to be divisive ourselves. Just as Jesus is divisive, so are His followers. It comes with the territory of being a Christian.

Joel shows what worldly hate looks like, and then contrasts it with the spiritual disgust Jesus describes. The hatred Jesus talks about isn't just dislike or frustration. It's eternal separation from the Father.

But there's hope. Jesus hasn't left us alone. He's given us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth who testifies about Jesus and empowers us to be witnesses. The same Spirit who convicts the world of sin dwells in every believer.

Yet Jesus is clear: If they persecuted Him, they'll persecute us. You might be labeled a bigot, ridiculed at work, kicked out of friendship groups, or worse. Christians around the world face threats, violence, even death. But persecution isn't the goal, victimhood isn't the goal. We've been chosen for this.

The encouragement? Live radically obedient lives. Let people reject you because of who Jesus is, not because of you. Abide in Him. Allow the Spirit to do the exposing. And remember: Being hated for following Jesus is a far lighter burden than the knowledge that people you love could be going to hell.

Jesus has already won. The darkness has not and will not ever overcome the light that is our Lord Jesus.

Series: Revealing Jesus (John 13-17)
Speaker: Joel
Scripture: John 15:18-16:4

The Greatest Love: Abide in Jesus or Abide in the World | John 15:1-17

Stu opens with a video that made him cry: a children's hospital next to a football stadium where the entire crowd waves to the sick kids in the windows. One child has a sign: "Go Hawks." They made him feel like he belonged, like he was part of the team, even though he's fighting cancer.

But as beautiful as that act of kindness is, Jesus offers something even greater.

On the night before His death, Jesus uses the image of a vine to reveal the greatest love the world has ever known: the love with which the Father loves the Son. And shockingly, Jesus says He can share that relationship with us.

"I am the vine; you are the branches," Jesus declares. "Remain in me, as I also remain in you." This isn't just encouragement to get you through the day. It's the most powerful thing you have in your life—to belong to God through Jesus is to know what love is and how to love.

The choice every Christian faces: Will you abide in Jesus and become like Jesus, or will you abide in the world and become worldly?

From the temptation of concerts and digital screens to the subtle ways we fall in love with things that take our affections from Christ, Stu confronts our divided hearts. He shares his own story of walking into a pub to see his favourite guitarist, only to find a room full of motorcycle gangs, and realising he didn't belong there. Sometimes the Holy Spirit makes you uncomfortable for a reason.

Jesus says something shocking in verse 5: "Apart from me you can do nothing." Abiding means ongoing dependent union with Jesus, letting His words live in us. It's practical: through God's Word, prayer, obedience, and gathering with God's people, you abide in Christ.

Stu unpacks three powerful truths: the source of the greatest love (the Father's love flowing through Jesus to us), the measure of the greatest love (Jesus laying down His life for His friends), and the overflow of the greatest love (His command to love one another as He loved us).

Because if you abide in the world, you'll become like the world. But if you abide in Jesus, you'll become like Jesus. And that changes everything—your friendships, your family, your church, your community.

Series: Revealing Jesus (John 13-17)
Speaker: Stu Crawshaw
Scripture: John 15:1-17

Ever been to a party that went completely sideways? That's the Last Supper. Jesus washes feet, announces His betrayal, tells Peter he'll deny Him, and drops the bombshell He's leaving.

Then Judas asks: "Lord, why show yourself to us and not to the world?" Fair question. If Jesus is the Messiah, why not go big? Why not split the sky and silence the critics?

Jesus' response changes everything: "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

This isn't distant future hope. This is now. Father, Son, and Spirit, making His home in you through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit teaches us, applies God's Word to our lives, and brings a peace the world cannot give. Not inner calm or positive thinking, peace that transcends understanding. Peace that steadies you in hospital rooms, holds you in grief, anchors you when you're fragile, quietens anxiety at 2am.

This peace doesn't change your circumstances. Jesus comes to you in your chaos and walks every step with you. You are never alone.

What have you tried to bring peace to your life? How have those things failed?

Series: Revealing Jesus (John 13-17)
Speaker: John
Scripture: John 14:22-31

"Do you think I'm ever going to see her again?"

Standing in a hospital hallway after his wife's death, a grieving husband asked Paul the question that haunts us all. After decades together, suddenly she's gone. Suddenly he's alone. Will they ever be together again?

In our latest message from the "Revealing Jesus" series, Paul tackles the anxiety we all feel about death: our own and those we love. Drawing from John 13:36-14:7, where Jesus speaks His final words to His friends the night before His crucifixion, we discover four promises that change everything about how we face death.

• Promise 1: Jesus will be our forerunner. He's gone ahead to prepare a place for us
• Promise 2: Jesus will lead us there. We won't have to navigate death alone
• Promise 3: Jesus is the destination. Heaven is about being with Him, not just a place
• Promise 4: Jesus is the only way. No one comes to the Father except through Him

From Peter's bravado ("I'll lay down my life for you!") to Thomas's confusion ("We don't know where you're going!"), the disciples struggle to understand. But Jesus makes it crystal clear: "I am the way and the truth and the life."

This message confronts our contemporary "all roads lead to heaven" culture with Jesus' exclusive claim. It challenges our view of heaven as just paradise without pain, reminding us that heaven is first about a person before it's about a place. And it asks where we're really placing our trust when life falls apart.

Series: Revealing Jesus (John 13-17)
Speaker: Paul
Passage: John 13:36-14:7

Never Abandoned: God With Us and In Us | John 14:8-21

Ever feel spiritually orphaned? Like you're walking through life alone, wondering where God actually is?

Tim Anderson tackles Philip's simple but profound request: "Lord, show us the Father." What Jesus says next changes everything about how we understand God's presence in our lives.

Drawing from his own experience from losing both parents, Tim unpacks how Jesus promises we will never be abandoned. From Moses longing to see God's glory to the fulfillment of Ezekiel and Jeremiah's prophecies, we see God's plan unfold, not a distant deity, but a deeply personal Father who sent His Spirit to live in us.

It's the promise that sustained martyrs like St. Florian facing the flames and Thomas Cranmer under persecution. It's the same promise that carries us through hospital rooms, dark nights on the beach, and seasons when we feel spiritually dry.

If you've ever questioned whether God is really there, or struggled to feel His presence in hard seasons: you're not alone. The Spirit lives in you. And because Jesus lives, you also live.

Series: Revealing Jesus (John 13-17)
Speaker: Tim Anderson
Scripture: John 14:8-21