The Risen King: Our Hope, Healing, and Calling

The Empty Tomb Section: (John 20:1–10) – Hope Awakens

Read John John 20:1-10.

Pray!

Good morning and Happy Easter!

-Today we celebrate the greatest moment in history—not just an event, but a person. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, crucified, buried... and on the third day, risen.

-But let’s not rush past what actually happened.

-I often reflect on the Saturday between the crucifixion and the resurrection—the disciples were likely drowning in a storm of grief, confusion, and fear.

- Their Teacher, their Friend, the One they believed was the Messiah, had just been brutally killed. All their hopes seemed buried in that tomb with Him. They didn’t yet understand what was coming. To them, Saturday felt like silence from heaven. Dreams crushed. Faith shaken. Everything they had given up their lives for now seemed lost.

-It was a day of waiting… but also of wondering. “Was it all for nothing?” “Did we get it wrong?” The weight of regret may have been heavy—Peter still reeling from his denial, others remembering how they scattered in fear. But while it looked like the story had ended, heaven was still moving. What they saw as the end was really just the middle. Sunday was already on the way—they just didn’t know it yet.

-The resurrection didn’t begin with music, lights, or loud declarations.

It began in silence.

It began with a stone rolled away, an empty tomb, and some discarded grave clothes.

-In John 20, we meet Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John running to the tomb. These were real people, grieving the loss of someone they loved.

-They expected to find a sealed grave, a lifeless body, an end. But instead, they were confronted with something unexpected.

-John gets there first, looks inside, and sees it—emptiness. No body. Just grave clothes folded neatly. That was enough for him. Scripture says in John 20:8, “He saw and believed.”

-Think about that. John’s faith didn’t begin with answers. It didn’t begin with a conversation with the risen Jesus. It started with what wasn’t there. Sometimes, faith is sparked not in what you see, but in what’s missing. The absence of death. The absence of defeat. The absence of finality.

And that emptiness is powerful.

Point 1: Evidence That Sparks Faith

-Let’s be clear—the resurrection is not a metaphor. It’s not a myth. It is literal. Physical. Powerful.

-Jesus really did die. He really was buried. And on the third day, He really walked out of that tomb. This isn’t a nice story to give us spiritual goosebumps once a year—it’s the foundation of our faith. If Jesus is still in the grave, then everything we believe crumbles. But because the tomb is empty, our lives are full of hope.

-This isn’t just about life after death—this is about life right now. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you today. It gives strength in weakness. Light in darkness. Peace in chaos. Purpose in pain.

Point 2: The Resurrection Is Not Just Symbolic

-Let me talk to the one here today who’s unsure, doubting, or just holding on by a thread. You may not have all the answers. You may feel like Mary—confused. Like Peter—ashamed. Like John—just trying to make sense of it all.

-But the invitation is the same: Come and see. Run to the tomb. Look inside. Jesus is not there. The tomb is empty—so that your life can be full.

Full of forgiveness. Full of purpose. Full of grace. Full of resurrection power.

Point 3: Faith Begins When You Run to the Empty Tomb

-Let’s stop living like Friday/Saturday people in a Sunday world. The stone has been rolled away. Death has been defeated. The tomb is empty. And because of that, hope is alive.

So today, don’t just admire the resurrection from a distance. Step into it. Embrace it. Let it change you.

The same Jesus who walked out of the grave is still calling people out of their darkness, out of their hopelessness, out of their sin—and into life.

Because the tomb is empty, you don’t have to be.

Restoration Section (John 21:1–19) – Grace Greater Than Failure

-The resurrection of Jesus is not only the defeat of death—it is the restoration of humanity. From the very beginning, sin fractured our relationship with God, distorted our identity, and left us spiritually dead.

-But in rising from the grave, Jesus didn’t just secure life after death—He opened the door for new life now. His victory over the grave is also a victory over the power of sin that once held us captive. Through the resurrection, humanity is invited back into right relationship with God, not based on our performance, but on His grace.

-The cross paid the price for our sin, but the resurrection proves that the payment was accepted. It is God’s declaration that sin no longer has the final say.

-Brokenness no longer defines us. Through faith in the risen Christ, we are made new—restored in our identity as sons and daughters of God. We’re no longer slaves to the sin that once ruled us.

-Now, by His Spirit, we’re empowered to walk in freedom, truth, and righteousness. The resurrection means that what was lost in the garden can now be restored in Christ. It’s not just a personal comeback story—it’s the beginning of a new humanity, made whole through the risen Savior. And we see firsthand Jesus restore Peter after he denied him/betrayed him.

Read John 21:15-19.

-If you’ve ever failed, fallen short, or felt like you blew your one chance—then this message is for you.

-The Resurrection isn’t just about Jesus walking out of the grave. It’s about what He walks into after that. It’s about how He steps back into our brokenness, our shame, our regret—and breathes purpose into the places we thought were permanently ruined by our sin and the poor choices we have made.

-For Peter, the resurrection wasn’t just a miracle to witness—it was a moment of personal restoration. His greatest failure—denying Jesus three times—didn’t disqualify him. In fact, that failure became the place where Jesus met him with grace.

-After the resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples multiple times. But one of the most beautiful, tender moments happens in John 21. Peter is out fishing—back in the same waters where Jesus first called him years earlier. It's as if Jesus is saying, “Let’s start over. Let’s go back to the beginning.”

He calls out to them, “Have you caught anything?” And just like before, they haven't. But when they follow His direction, they pull in a miraculous catch—153 fish. It's not just about fish. It's about grace. Jesus recreates the scene of their first encounter, reminding Peter: “I’m not done with you.”

-Maybe you have proclaimed to be a Christ follower but over the years your relationship has become dull/distant because of a variety of sins, maybe you hvae allowed yourself to get so busy you havent made time to spend with the LORD, maybe you have been living for your flesh and have been stuck in sin and now you feel like you cant returen to the Lord.

-If thats you, be encouraged and be like Peter and go Back to Where It All Began, have that love for Jesus reignited all over again and then fan the flame daily!

-After breakfast, Jesus pulls Peter aside and asks him one question—three times: “Do you love Me?” It’s no coincidence. Peter had denied Jesus three times, and now Jesus gives him the opportunity to affirm his love three times.

-Each “yes” doesn’t just restore the relationship—it recommissions the calling.“Feed My sheep,” Jesus says.

-Grace doesn’t just say, “You’re forgiven.” It says, “You still have a purpose.” Jesus didn’t lower the bar because Peter failed. He reminded Peter of his identity—a shepherd, a leader, a disciple still called to make a difference.

-Maybe you feel like Peter. Maybe you've messed up. Denied Jesus with your choices. Let fear, pride, or sin get the best of you. And maybe you’ve started to believe the lie that you’re disqualified.

-But I came to tell you today: Jesus is in the business of restoring the broken, reclaiming the fallen, and recommissioning the unworthy.

-Your past doesn’t cancel your calling. Your failure doesn’t get the final word. Because resurrection changes everything. It means the story isn’t over. The same Jesus who rose from the grave is standing on the shore of your life, calling you by name, inviting you back to grace, and saying, “Follow Me.”

-If resurrection is real—and it is—then restoration is possible. Not just for Peter. For you. No matter what you’ve done. No matter how far you’ve drifted. No matter how heavy the shame. Jesus still meets us by the water. He still prepares breakfast for the broken. And He still turns denials into declarations of love.

So let this be the day you stop disqualifying yourself. Let this be the day you hear Jesus say, “I’m not finished with you yet.” Resurrection means your story isn’t over. Give your life to Him and allow him to transform you from the inside out!