Resurrection Sunday 2024

Why is it called Easter?

have you ever wondered where Easter came from? If you look in your bible, with the exception of a few translations, you will not find the word Easter anywhere. A few translations interject it but it simply is not a word that appears in the original text.

Here is where the word Easter comes from. It was originally a Saxon word, denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whome sacrifices were offered about the time of Passover. When we read about Jesus’ death, we learn that He was crucified just before Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ.

See Easter can mean anything, which is probably why the world has made it all about bunnies that lay chocolate eggs. Easter is marketable. You know what is really hard to market. Resurrection Sunday! Why? Because there is only one thing that we could possibly be talking about!! The Resurrection of Christ!

I think we need to reclaim this weekend for what it is truly is. See when it comes to the church calendar, there really is no greater day then Resurrection Sunday. The resurrection of Christ is central to everything you believe and hold on to.

The Resurrection Confirms Jesus is the Son of God

John 20:30–31 NLT

The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

Romans 1:4 NLT

and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

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B. B. Warfield said this:

Christ himself deliberately staked his whole claim to the credit of men upon his resurrection. When asked for a sign he pointed to this sign as his single and sufficient credential.

Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield

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how do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? Because He came back from the dead. You can go through human history and count on one hand the number of people who came back to life of their own will. Yes, the prophets and Jesus prayed over many people and we read about people coming back to life all the time. But no where do we read of someone just waking up on their own. It is on the greatest evidences that Jesus Christ truly is the only begotten Son of God.

The Resurrection is a Demonstration of God’s Power

Acts 2:24 NLT

But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

Acts 3:15 NLT

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

1 Peter 3:18 NLT

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

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Jesus’ resurrection is a reminder of just how powerful our God is. Nothing stays dead if God doesn’t want it to. I believe someone really needs to hear that this morning. Jesus’ resurrection is the evidence that whatever situation you are struggling with, that no matter how hopeless it might seem, nothing is impossible with our God. Nothing is beyond repair. Nothing is irredeemable. If God, by His power, raised Jesus from the dead, then He can breathe life into your situation too. If, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was resurrected, and that same Spirit now dwells within you, than that power is available to you to resurrect your situation

The Resurrection is Central to Everything

1. It is the basis of your faith

1 Corinthians 15:12–15 NLT

But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.

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remember, faith is believing God is who He says He is, that He will do what He says He will do, and living accordingly. Jesus told the disciples on three separate occasions that He would come back to life. If He wasn’t resurrected, that means God didn’t do what He said He would do. If He didn’t do this, what else won’t He do?

Jesus resurrection is the basis of our faith in God. He said the Messiah would be raised in three days, and He was.

2. It is the basis of your justification

1 Corinthians 15:16–17 NLT

And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.

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let me read that again. If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. It is through the cross that you and I are forgiven of our sins, but it is through the resurrection that Jesus truly conquers sin and death. If Jesus did not come back, then sin won and there is no hope. At some point in your faith journey, you declared Jesus as your Lord and Saviour because you recognized that you are a sinful person, and no matter what you did you couldn’t overcome that fact. Christ alone saves you from slavery to sin, Christ alone makes you right before God. But if Christ wasn’t resurrected, then there is no hope and we are all destined to be objects of God’s wrath. There’s only two options. You are either saved by grace and eternity awaits, or you are an enemy of God and judgement awaits. Without Jesus’ resurrection, there is only one option for all of us.

You are justified because of Jesus’ resurrection

3. It is the basis of your hope

1 Corinthians 15:18–19 NLT

In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

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remember the situation as Paul is writing this. Christians are dying on a regular basis. Paul has beated and imprisoned on a number of occasions because of his proclamation of the gospel. If his faith in Christ was supposed to produce something amazing on this side of eternity, he got the short end of the stick.

But our hope isn’t for this side of eternity. Yes you will experience peace and joy beyond measure, but the trials don’t go away. Life doesn’t just get easy because you are now a believer. In fact, in many cases, life gets harder. Some of you have been persecuted for your faith. You have faced rejection and mockery. If our hope in Jesus was just to produce a better life, then yes we should be pitied.

But Jesus resurrection points us to somethig bigger, something better. Our eyes become fixed on eternity, the realization that one day you will be united with Christ forever. One day, Jesus will establish His kingdom, and there will be no more death or sickness or injustice. The sin problem will be taken care of and as a result, all the fall out of sin.

You take on every trial, knowing that the creator and sustainer of the universe walks with you, but you also know that this isn’t all there is to life. This is but a whisper compared to what waits. But all that hope is gone when you remove the resurrection of Jesus. If He didn’t come back, then what hope do you have?

4. It is the basis of your resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 NLT

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.

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in Exodus, Moses is told to teach the people about firstfruits. The idea was that Israel was the bring the first thing that came off the harvest, and it was an act of faith that a full harvest was coming.

Paul is saying that Jesus is that for us. Jesus is the firstfruit of the resurrection. He is the first of many. He is the act of faith that a full harvest of believers is coming into new life. Remember, Jesus died for each of you while you were still enemies. There are no guarantees, but He believed that there would be a harvest. You are part of that harvest. He has paved the way to eternity for each of us.

Do you get the idea that resurrection is kind of a big deal?

This is why Paul went to such lengths to prove to the Corinthians that it really happened.

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NLT

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

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it isn’t just the testimony of the apostles that proves it. There were more than 500 people who Jesus alive at the same time.

it might be easy to discredit the account of Jesus’ closest friends, but it hard to argue with the eye witness account of over 500 people. In a court of law, that is pretty much a slam dunk.

So What?

if you are here and Romans 10:9-10 describes you

Romans 10:9–10 NLT

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

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if that describes you this morning, then the resurrection means you should live differently. The resurrection means you have a faith that will not fade, no matter what life throws at you. The resurrection means that there is so much more to life then what happens on this side of eternity. The resurrection means that no situation is irredeemable, no situation is hopeless or dead. It means that no mistake is so big that Jesus can’t take it away.

Those truths should inspire you to live more confidently. You should pray differently, speak differently, love differently. Your treasure is not in this world.

This week, I want you to try something. On your tables are little cards with declarations on them. The card says:

I believe Jesus has been resurrected and is alive today. I believe that God has the power to turn things around. I believe that I am forgiven of ALL of my sin. I have hope for a better future. I believe that eternity awaits.

start every day saying each of those lines like you really believe it. Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 NLT

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

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use your tongue to speak life into your situation.

this morning, there are no discussion questions. All there is those cards. Talk about something that stood out from the message. Talk about each of those phrases and what they mean to you. But internalize each of those truths. You have hope, you have faith, and you are loved because Jesus conquered sin and death for you.

God bless! Happy Resurrection Sunday! Have a great week, and we will see you next Sunday!