At Wade, we believe that real faith makes a difference! Join us on an amazing journey that will grow your faith, as you transform your community!
by Bill Whitt, Worship & Media Dir.
On Easter Sunday, we looked at four reasons it makes sense to believe the account of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are true. (For the complete sermon, please visit our Message Archive page.) Clearly, you don’t have to check your brain at the door to be a Christian. In fact, when you look at the evidence, it is hard not to conclude that a miraculous event occurred on that Easter morning!
The question many people ask, though, is this: “Why is the Resurrection important?” They say, “Jesus paid for my sins on the cross, so why is it important that He also came back from the dead?” Paul offers some insight in 1 Corinthians 15. He says that, if there’s no resurrection, there’s no Christianity. Our faith is useless if the resurrection is just a myth. I explained why that’s the case at the end of last week’s sermon.
Here is an excerpt of that message (or click here to listen to this excerpt):
Paul says in verse 14, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” And down a little further, in verse 17, he says this: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
So this is where the rubber meets the road this morning. Who cares if Christ is risen? Why do we talk about all this stuff? Why do we celebrate Easter? Paul says it very clearly: If Christ is still dead, that means He wasn’t from God. And that means, He was a liar. And that means that when He died on the cross, He didn’t really pay the penalty for our sins. And that means we’re still guilty before God. And that means when we die, that’s pretty much it. Game over. So, eat, drink and be merry, because this is all you’ve got, folks.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. All that evidence we went over — Paul knew it. He knew that Jesus really did come back from the dead, and he said this: He’s the first of many to come. And so that means that we do have hope, that there is a hope beyond the grave.
I know there are people right now in our audience who are struggling with death, who are dealing with their own mortality or the mortality of a loved one. Jessica’s dad, if you didn’t know, has had colon cancer. And it’s recurred a third time. He’s only 49 years old. He got it once, and surgery took it out — chemo, radiation. And within a few months, it was back. Surgery — cut it out — chemo, radiation. Within a few months, it’s back.
All of us face reminders that whether it’s tomorrow or the next month or the next year or decades from now, this life doesn’t last forever. But thanks to the resurrection, and thanks to what we celebrate on this day, we know that Jesus was raised from the dead, and He’s the first fruits — the first one of many to come. Because Jesus was raised, we know that we have a life beyond the grave too. And whether it’s a heart attack or a stroke or cancer, these diseases can stop us from breathing, but they won’t stop us from living. There’s a hope for us beyond the grave.
And there’s a hope for us for the payment for our sins. That’s where the rubber meets the road, folks. That’s what Easter is all about. It’s the linchpin of our faith. If you ever doubt the faith, if you ever doubt Jesus, I want you to think about the linchpin of our faith. He really died, He really was buried, and He really came back to life. That proves what He said was true. That proves He was the Son of God. That proves that He paid the penalty for our sin. And that proves that there is a life for us beyond the grave too.
I want you to be part of that! The Scripture says that the way we’re linked up to this resurrection life is through faith. Faith is as simple as coming to God and saying, “I can’t do it on my own. I’m guilty. But I’m trusting in Jesus, that He paid the penalty for my sin, died, was buried and was raised to new life. And I’m trusting in Him for my salvation.”
If you want to know more about following Christ, please call us or email us! And I hope you’ll join us for our new series, “Shift.” In part 1, we’ll see that the same power that conquered the grave lives in us! The implications are breathtaking! Join us Sunday to learn more.
