The Heart of Easter (Easter 2025)
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 27:22
0 ratings
· 13 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
I want to begin our time this morning by reading John’s account of the first Easter morning.
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
We read the Easter story.
Christ is risen!
He is alive
Have you ever noticed how we often speak of Easter in symbols?
An empty tomb.
A cross.
A stone rolled away.
A resurrection service.
Easter egg hunts.
Easter baskets.
The Easter bunny.
But if you strip all of that away—if you look past the traditions, the symbols, the songs—what do you find at the heart of Easter?
You don’t find a moment.
You don’t find a movement.
You don’t even find a message.
You find a person.
Jesus Christ.
Easter while being a historical event— is ultimately about a living Savior.
The tomb is empty because Jesus is alive.
And that means He is not just a figure from the past;
He is a present reality, and He invites us to meet Him today.
Earlier, we read from the end of the Gospel of John—a story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb, bewildered and broken, meeting the risen Christ.
But now, I want to take us back to the beginning of John’s Gospel—before the cross, before the resurrection—to set the foundation for everything Easter means.
In John 1, we are told not just what Jesus did, but who He is.
And we are introduced to Him with five profound words:
"Full of grace and truth."
That’s the heartbeat of Easter.
Not only grace.
Not only truth.
But Jesus—who is both - fully and perfectly.
This morning, I want to invite each of us to look again—maybe for the first time or maybe with fresh eyes—at who Jesus really is.
Because when you see Him for who He is, full of grace and truth, it changes everything.
1. The Heart of Easter: Grace and Truth in the Person of Christ
1. The Heart of Easter: Grace and Truth in the Person of Christ
Turn with me back now to John 1 -
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
The Word spoken of here, we know is Jesus.
John introduces Jesus to us in this way in the opening verses.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In verse 14 we see the description of Jesus as being full of grace and truth.
This is the heart of Easter.
Easter is not just about a moment in history; it’s about a Person.
Jesus didn’t come to give abstract concepts—He is grace and truth incarnate.
Grace is the unmerited, undeserved favor of God.
There is nothing we can do to earn it, we certainly don’t deserve it.
It is a free gift.
Jesus being grace incarnate means that Jesus is grace made visible—God’s undeserved favor embodied in a person reaching out to the undeserving with love, truth, and sacrifice.
In Jesus, grace isn’t just a concept—it’s a person who moves toward the guilty, speaks peace to the broken, and gives Himself completely for our redemption.
Jesus is also truth incarnate.
Truth is found in God and revealed through God’s word.
Jesus prays for His followers in
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Jesus is truth embodied—God’s reality revealed in a person.
In Him, truth isn’t just spoken—it’s lived.
Jesus is the only person ever to live a life free from sin.
As such He fulfills every promise God has ever made.
Jesus embodying truth, exposes the lies we believe, confronts the sin we justify.
Jesus shows us what is real and unchanging in a world full of distortion and half-truths.
He doesn’t just point the way to truth—He is the way, the truth, and the life.
When we look at Jesus, we see the full picture of what is eternally true about God, ourselves, and the world.
Grace and truth meld together in the gospel message to form a key distinction of Christianity over other religions.
Often grace or truth is favored at the expense of the other but Christianity is unique in that God delivers grace through His justice and truth.
Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth.
All grace, all truth, all the time.
But he didn’t come simply to give us an example of grace and truth.
He came to save us in grace and truth.
In the world, we often hear the phrase, 'Truth hurts.'
Many people cling to the idea of truth, presenting it without the gentle embrace of grace.
A historical example is Martin Luther, who confronted the church with bold truths, yet his message sometimes lacked the grace needed for healing.
The beauty of Jesus is that He embodies both—challenging us with truth while showering us with grace, reminding us that we can stand firm in truth without sacrificing love.
Imagine a judge ruling on a case where the defendant is guilty but deeply remorseful.
If he only acts out of truth, he might impose a harsh penalty.
But if he leads solely with grace, he may let the offender go free, undermining justice.
Jesus, however, exemplifies the perfect judge, offering both justice and mercy.
His encounter with the sinful woman in John 8 showcased this;
He addressed her wrongdoing while extending grace, illustrating that we are called to reflect both in our lives.
Easter reveals God’s heart—grace that welcomes sinners, truth that confronts sin.
It is at the cross that we find God’s grace and truth on full display.
The Cross Declares the Truth: Sin Is Real and Deadly
The Cross Declares the Truth: Sin Is Real and Deadly
Many of us are familiar with Paul’s writing in Romans.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The cross of Jesus Christ is the most brutal, honest declaration of the truth: sin is real, and its consequences are deadly.
God does not ignore or minimize our rebellion.
The crucifixion is not symbolic—it is a substitution.
Jesus took on the full weight of our sin and bore the judgment we deserved.
This is truth in its fullest form: we are more sinful than we care to admit.
But the cross prepares the way for grace.
Without this truth, grace has no meaning.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
It is also at the cross where we find grace.
Grace at the Cross: What We Don't Deserve
Grace at the Cross: What We Don't Deserve
Paul is referencing Psalm 14 when in Rom 3
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
And yet Jesus willingly went to the cross.
Jesus bore our sin, though He was without sin
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It was the grace of God that allowed Jesus to take our place; He dies the death we deserve.
It is through the cross that we see just how far God is willing to go to redeem us!
The cross is where grace bled and truth judged—and love triumphed.
One of my personal favorite things to listen to on Good Friday is the the sermon clip by S.M. Lockridge
It’s Friday - But Sunday’s coming!
Friday was when everything looked hopeless.
Jesus was dead and buried.
The Pharisees and other religious leaders were celebrating.
The disciples were crushed and defeated.
But Sunday and the empty tomb were just ahead.
Now it’s Sunday.
And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake.
But that wasn’t the only thing that was shaking, because now it’s Sunday.
And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb.
Yes, it’s Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone.
And the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots, because it’s Sunday.
And the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.
It’s Sunday, and the crucified and resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin, and the grave.
It’s Sunday.
And now everything has changed.
It’s the age of grace, God’s grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary.
Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again.
All because it’s Sunday.
It is also through the resurrection that we we find grace and turth.
The Resurrection Proclaims Grace: Love Is Greater Than Death
The Resurrection Proclaims Grace: Love Is Greater Than Death
As we read from John 20, Mary met Jesus in the garden for that first time, how did he greet her?
First by asking her why she was grieving.
She was so caught up in her grief that she did not recognize Jesus voice at first.
But then Jesus called her by name.
Mary
Mary Magdalene, once plagued by demons, is one of the first to witness the risen Lord.
He calls her by name.
That moment is pure grace.
He meets her in sorrow and confusion and brings clarity and hope.
The cross reveals the truth of our sin, and the resurrection proclaims the power of God’s grace.
Jesus didn’t stay in the grave.
He rose, proving that death does not have the final word and that forgiveness and new life are possible.
Paul in Romans 4 uses the example of Abraham, who God was justified by his faith.
20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Grace is personal. ,
Jesus knows your name.
Have you ever been walking through a store, feeling invisible with all the other people around.
When suddenly someone calls your name?
You get that feeling of being recognized.
It can lift your spirits immediately.
Knowing you are not alone.
Similarly, when it comes to grace, Jesus calls us by name in our moments of despair, assuring us that we are known and cherished.
Every person longs for that connection, and through Him, we receive His grace personally.
Each of us can receive His grace personally to gain the new life that He has to offer. .
Grace opens the door, but truth gives direction.
The resurrection not only assures us of God’s love—it confronts us with a truth we must believe.
The Resurrection Proclaims Truth: What We Must Believe
The Resurrection Proclaims Truth: What We Must Believe
The resurrection confirms Jesus’ identity and mission.
The empty tomb is not just good news—it is true news.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
The resurrection of Jesus proclaims truth by
Confirming Jesus' divinity: Jesus was indeed the Son of God who had the power to conquer death.
Demonstrating Jesus power over death: By rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated his authority over death and the grave.
Assuring forgiveness and eternal life: The resurrection signifies that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was effective in atoning for the sins of humanity, providing forgiveness and the promise of eternal life for those who believe.
Validating Jesus' teachings: The resurrection validates the teachings and claims of Jesus, confirming that his words and actions were divinely inspired and authoritative.
Providing hope and a transformed life: The resurrection offers hope for the future and empowers believers to live transformed lives, motivated by the power and love of Jesus.
In the Bible we read of multiple people who God changed their lives -
The disciples went from scared men hiding behind locked doors to boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus.
Saul became Paul
Timothy a young man became a leader in the early church.
If you have read or watched The Case for Christ you have heard the story of Lee Strobel
Once a staunch atheist and investigative journalist, set out to disprove the resurrection of Jesus.
He thought the evidence would be an easy target.
However, as he investigated, he unraveled a truth that changed his life: the historical evidence for the resurrection was compelling.
The transformed faith he encountered not only led him to Christ but also inspired him to write influential books defending Christian beliefs.
Lee’s story reminds us of the power of truth to change lives, particularly when it comes to the resurrection.
For myself, God has given me purpose and direction for my life.
What about you?
I want to hear from you - in a couple of words - how had Christ changed your life?
The Response: Growing in Love and Devotion
The Response: Growing in Love and Devotion
The truth is that Easter demands a response.
We aren’t just called to acknowledge Easter—we’re called to be transformed by it.
Like Mary Magdalene (John 20), we are drawn to love and follow the risen Jesus.
We desperately need grace in our lives.
We need to hear from Jesus “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28)
We need to know that God doesn’t expect us to clean up our act before we come to him.
He calls us to come, now, today, just as we are–in brokenness, in pain, in humility, in repentance, and in faith.
We need to hear that wayward children, who have squandered their inheritance and lived an immoral, rebellious life, can come home into the arms of their heavenly Father (Luke 15:20).
And we desperately need truth in our lives.
We need to hear from Jesus “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
And we need to hear from Jesus what this saying really means: “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin…But if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
We need someone as gracious as Jesus to tell us the truth: you are not okay.
You do not need to push away those feelings of guilt that weigh you down.
You are guilty.
And anyone who tells you otherwise, is not telling you the truth.
And because they won’t tell you the truth, you won’t experience the grace you need.
We need truth.
We need grace.
We need Jesus.
Only Jesus Christ can save hard-hearted, hard-headed sinners full of lies and deserving judgment.
Only by union with Jesus Christ, can we grow in the same truth and grace that walked among us in the miracle of the incarnation.
Application questions:
Do you know His grace personally?
Do you believe the truth of the resurrection?
How is your life responding in love and devotion?
Memorable Statement:
“Easter is not just a day to remember—it’s a Savior to follow.”
