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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
Jerry
Varnado,
pastor Easter
Son Rise Service Let
all pious men and all lovers
of God rejoice in the splendor
of this feast; let the wise
servants blissfully enter into
the joy of their Lord; let
those who have borne the
burden of Lent now receive
their pay, and those who have
toiled since the first hour,
let them now receive their due
reward. Let
any who came after the third
hour be grateful to join in
the feast, and those who may
have come after the sixth, let
them not be afraid of being
too late; for the Lord is
gracious and He receives the
last even as the first. He
gives rest to him who comes on
the eleventh hour as well as
to him who has toiled since
the first: yes, He has pity on
the last and He serves the
first; He rewards the one and
praises the effort. Come
you all: enter into the joy of
your Lord. You the first and
you the last, receive alike
your reward; you rich and you
poor, dance together; you
sober and you weaklings,
celebrate the day; you who
have kept the fast and you who
have not, rejoice
today. The
table is richly loaded: enjoy
its royal banquet. The calf is
a fatted one: let no one go
away hungry. All of you enjoy
the banquet of faith; all of
you receive the riches of his
goodness. Let
no one grieve over his
poverty, for the universal
kingdom has been revealed; let
no one weep over his sins, for
pardon has shone from the
grave; let no one fear death,
for the death of our Saviour
has set us free: He has
destroyed it by enduring it,
He has despoiled Hades by
going down into its kingdom,
He has angered it by allowing
it to taste of his
flesh. When
Isaias foresaw all this, he
cried out: "O Hades, you have
been angered by encountering
Him in the nether world."
Hades is angered because
frustrated, it is angered
because it has been mocked, it
is angered because it has been
destroyed, it is angered
because it has been reduced to
naught, it is angered because
it is now captive. It seized a
body, and, lo! it encountered
heaven; it seized the visible,
and was overcome by the
invisible. O
death, where is your sting? O
Hades, where is your
victory? Christ
is risen and you are
abolished. Christ is risen and
the demons are cast down.
Christ is risen and the angels
rejoice. Christ is risen and
life is freed. Christ is risen
and the tomb is emptied of the
dead: for Christ, being risen
from the dead, has become the
Leader and Reviver of those
who had fallen
asleep. To
Him be glory and power for
ever and ever.
Amen.
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
Pastor
Jerry's Weekly
E-Mail
A
GATEWAY SERMON
SUMMARY
He
has given us life!
Gateway
Church,
Athens GA
April 11, 2004
NOTE:
This service took place outdoors on
Gateway's
new property along Jefferson Road in
Athens.
2003 Easter SonRise
Service
A
mp3 audio file of this sermon is
here.
(Download
to a PC by right clicking on the
link and choosing "Save Target
As." Mac users: click, hold, and
choose "Download Link to Disk."
Depending on your connection
speed, the file may take several
minutes to
download.)
©
2004 Gerald R.
Varnado