The Resurrection Changes Everything: God Keeps His Promises

"God keeps His promises." We hear that all the time in church, right? But do we actually believe it? When life gets hard, when prayers seem unanswered, when God feels distant—do we really trust that He's faithful?

In Acts 13, Paul preaches his first recorded sermon, and his entire message can be summed up in one explosive truth: Jesus is the Messiah, and His resurrection proves God always keeps His word.

A Long History of Faithfulness

Paul doesn't start with Jesus—he starts with Israel's story. He walks through God's promises to Abraham, Moses, and David. Over and over, God said, "I will do this," and then He did it. Every. Single. Time.

And then Paul gets to the main point: all of those promises were pointing to Jesus. Acts 13:32-33 says, "We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus from the dead."

The resurrection isn't just a cool miracle. It's God saying, "Nothing—not death, not sin, not Satan himself—can stop me from keeping my promises to you."

The empty tomb is the ultimate evidence that God is trustworthy. If He can conquer death, He can handle whatever you're facing today.

Forgiveness for Everyone Who Believes

Then Paul drops this bombshell: "Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin" (Acts 13:38-39).

Did you catch that? Everyone who believes. Not "everyone who cleans up their life first." Not "everyone who's good enough." Just everyone who believes.

And not just forgiveness for some of your sins—forgiveness for every sin. Past, present, future. The shame you're carrying, the regret that keeps you up at night, the guilt you can't shake—Jesus frees you from it all.

Colossians 2:13-14 says God "canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross." It's done. Finished. Paid in full.

This Week, Try This

1. Remember His faithfulness. Take a few minutes this week to write down specific times God has been faithful to you in the past. When life feels uncertain, remembering His track record changes everything.
2. Confess what you're still carrying. Is there shame, guilt, or regret you haven't fully surrendered to Jesus? Bring it to Him. He already paid for it. Stop carrying what He's already taken away.
3. Trust Him with your future. What are you worried about right now? What feels uncertain or scary? Remind yourself: if God raised Jesus from the dead, He can handle this too. Write down your worries and pray over them, asking God to help you trust Him.

The Resurrection Changes Everything

Here's the bottom line: because Jesus rose from the dead, you can trust God's promises. You can believe His forgiveness is real. You can stop striving and start resting in what He's already done.

The resurrection reshapes your past (you're forgiven), redefines your present (you're free), and secures your future (you're His forever).

At Indy Metro, we're a community built on this truth: Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and His resurrection changes everything. Not just in theory, but in real, everyday life. We're learning together what it looks like to live in light of the empty tomb—to trust God's promises when life is hard and celebrate His faithfulness when things are good.

We'd love for you to join us. If you're tired of carrying guilt and shame, if you're longing to trust God but don't know how, if you're curious about what it means to follow Jesus—come as you are this Sunday. Let's discover together what it means to live in resurrection freedom.