Easter 2026

Hope… IS ALIVE!

Northside Church SLIDES HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN

Easter 2026 Hope is Alive

4/5/26

Jamey MIlls

John 20:1–18 (ESV)

20 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”

Easter SLIDE HERE

Following Johnny Wymore’s testimony

Easter story reading

Good morning…

He is Risen…

My name is Jamey, and I’m the lead pastor here at Northside. It’s so good to be with you this morning.

There are moments in life that change everything.

The day I got married

The day I became a father and grandfather

A diagnosis.

A phone call.

A decision.

Maybe even a mistake

But if it's true…

There has never been a moment in history

more decisive,

more world-altering,

more eternity-shaping than this one:

The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive.

That’s the reality we celebrate today.

Not an idea.

Not a metaphor.

Not a tradition.

Not a feel-good story A reality.

Would you agree?

If the resurrection happened… it would be the single most important and meaningful event the world has ever known?

If the man who was publicly executed

who claims to be God

Who said He came to seek and save the Lost

To give His life as a ransom for many

Who claimed he would rise on the third day

Who the Old Testament clearly points to Him as the Messiah and predicted the method of His death before crucifixion was even a thing.

If Jesus died, was sealed in the tomb, and rose on the 3rd day just like He said He would…

What would you do with that?

But let’s be honest, this is where a lot of people wrestle/struggle

Easter makes a bold claim:

Not that Jesus inspired people…

Not that He was simply a good teacher…

But that He was publicly executed physically rose from the dead.

And the questions we have to ask are these:

Can we be sure that happened?

And if it did… what does it mean for us today?

1. CAN WE BE SURE THE RESURRECTION HAPPENED?

By God’s design… It will always involve faith.

But Christianity doesn’t ask us to take a blind leap…

It invites you to examine evidence.

And in that… realizing it's not much of a leap at all.

In fact, the Apostle Paul says in

1 Corinthians 15 that if the resurrection didn’t happen, our faith is useless.

Everything stands or falls on this.

4 reasons for confidence:

1. The Empty Tomb

All 4 Gospels agree on this: The tomb was empty.

And here’s what’s fascinating—

Even Jesus’ enemies didn’t deny the tomb as empty:

As you read the Gospel accounts…

It feels like their knee-jerk reaction was two-fold…

There is a tone of awkward silence

They didn’t know what to do with it

Followed by the accusation that the disciples stole the body… from this

highly scrutinized…

heavily guarded,

sealed tomb.

Think about that.

These same disciples:

Ran away when Jesus was arrested

Lied about knowing Him

Hid in fear after the crucifixion

Were terrified of the authorities and affiliation with Jesus

Suddenly, we’re supposed to believe they became bold grave robbers who… if caught, would certainly die the same death?

Not likely

And more than that,

If Jesus’ body was still in the tomb, the authorities could have ended Christianity instantly by producing it.

If they could’ve they would’ve… But they couldn’t.

Because it wasn’t there… and even they didn’t deny it.

4 reasons for confidence:

1. The Empty Tomb

2. The Eyewitnesses

The resurrection wasn’t a private moment.

Jesus appeared to:

Mary Magdalene

The other women

Peter

Two disciples

The disciples

Seven disciples by the sea

The eleven on a mountain

500+ believers

James

All the apostles

At His ascension

Paul

Paul says, essentially: Don't take my word for it…

“Go ask them. Most are still alive.”

This wasn’t mythology written centuries later.

This was eyewitness testimony… during a time when the VAST majority of them were still living.

And here’s what makes it even more compelling:

The first witnesses were women.

In that culture, women’s testimony wasn’t even considered reliable in court.

If you were inventing a story, you’d never write it that way.

But the Gospel writers didn’t shape the story to be convincing

They told it the way it actually happened.

4 reasons for confidence:

The Empty Tomb

The Eyewitnesses

The Transformation of the Disciples

Before the resurrection:

Peter denies Jesus 3 times with increasing passion.

The disciples scatter - run

Everyone is afraid

After the resurrection:

Peter boldly/powerfully preaches in public

The disciples face persecution- and stand

All of them suffered… most were tortured and killed for refusing to deny Jesus.

We get this right…

No one is willing to die for something they know is a lie.

There is no credible historical or biblical record that ANY of the apostles later:

Renounced their faith

Denied Jesus again

Abandoned the message

Instead,

Early church history consistently records their faithfulness to the end.

If you take an honest look at their lives… You see it.

We can see it in their behavior… and in history

Jesus had risen from the dead and spent 40 days with them

He gathers them one last time on the Mount of Olives

He gives the mission…

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you’ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

They did… They played leading roles in…

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria

Syria, Turkey, Greece

Italy

India

Ethiopia

Egypt

Armenia

Persia

Spain

What happened that sent these guys across the known world to preach and face horrible deaths for not renouncing Jesus? 1. The coming of the Holy Spirit 2. They saw Him

They saw the risen Christ. And it changed them forever.

They didn’t just believe Jesus rose…

They knew it because they saw Him.

We can’t ignore how this small, frightened group of followers changed the world.

Within a few hundred years… Christianity spread across Rome…

Not through political power. Not through military force.

But through people who were absolutely convinced:

Jesus is alive.

They wouldn’t back down from that message - even when it cost them everything.

So when you step back and look at it all:

4 reasons for confidence:

The empty tomb

The eyewitness accounts

The transformed lives

The unstoppable movement

They all point to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus.

That the resurrection actually happened.

2. WHAT THE RESURRECTION MEANS

What does it mean for you, and why does it matter?

This is where it gets personal.

The ressurection means Jesus is who He said He is!

Jesus didn’t just claim to teach truth. He claimed to be truth.

He said things like: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Not A way…

not one of many…

He is saying… He is the ONLY way…

That’s not a modest claim.

That’s either true…

Or it’s outrageous.

But the resurrection is God’s testimony… that

“Everything Jesus said is true.”

The empty tomb echoes heaven’s victory; death has lost its grip; no longer has the final say!

It means:

Jesus’ authority is real

His words are trustworthy

His identity is undeniable

And THAT Hope is Alive

Jesus isn’t just a good teacher.

This is the Son of God.

The prince of peace.

He is the one who was, who is, and who is to come.

The one who gave His life as a ransom for many,

taking our place and our sin…

and putting us in His place…

where we experience complete and undeserved… grace… forgiveness…

The cross and the resurrection go together.

On the cross, Jesus said: “It is finished.”

But how do we know it really was?

Because three days later… He walked out just like He said He would. (It was the sign He told them He’d give them)

Sin no longer has the final word. And I hope you hear that… IT'S MASSIVE:

Your past does not define your future.

Think about that.

Every regret.

Every failure.

Every hidden thought.

Paid for.

Not minimized. Not ignored.

Paid for.

The empty tomb is the receipt, that your debt because of sin has been paid in full by Christ!

That your debt… because of sin… has been paid in full by Christ… THERE is a FULLNESS AND FREEDOM in it.

The separation that sin causes… between a perfectly Holy God and us has been paid for by Christ.

B. It Means Death Is Not the End

Death is often the deepest fear we carry.

What happens after this life?

Is death the end? What does it even mean…

Easter answers that question.

Because Jesus rose again… Jesus is saying… Becasue I live, you can live too!

That means for those who trust Him:

The grave is not the end

Death is not defeat

Eternity is not uncertain

It’s secure.

And suddenly, everything changes.

Because death is defeated…fear loses its grip.

It’s what led the apostle Paul… the man who once called and stood over the arrest and death of early Christians… to say this…

Romans 8:38–39 (ESV)

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

C. It Means New Life Is Available Now

Easter is not just about life after death.

It’s about life right now.

And I need you to hear that!

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead…

Has the power to transform your life starting today.

That means:

You’re not stuck

You’re not beyond hope

You’re not defined by your past

What you’ve done

What others have done to you

God can bring life where things feel dead.

Dead relationships. Dead dreams. Dead faith.

The resurrection says:

God is the one who brings dead things back to life.

Do you want to know how I know…

Because like Johnny, thats my story too.

My life has been radically changed by the truth of His resurrection…

THE INVITATION OF EASTER

But here’s the part we can’t miss.

The resurrection is not just something to believe intellectually.

It’s something to respond to personally.

When Jesus rose, He didn’t just prove a point.

He extended an invitation.

To Mary, He called her by name.

To Thomas, He met his doubts.

To Peter, He restored purpose after failure.

To the thief on the cross, He promised paradise.

To the brokenhearted, He gives peace that surpasses understanding

To the weary, He offers rest for the soul.

To the hopeless, He brings life that cannot die.

To the sinner, He extends mercy without measure.

To the fearful, He grants courage beyond fear.

To the lost, He provides a way home.

To the mourning, He delivers joy in the morning.

To the chained, He brings freedom that nothing can hold back.

To the weak, He offers strength that never fails.

To the grieving, He gives the assurance of eternal life.

To all who believe, He offers resurrection -

new life, new hope, new beginnings. Do you have it?

And today…

He offers the same to you.

A. For the unsure…

I’m so glad our hear…

Did you know the name God gave His people in the OT… means… To wrestle… You're not alone. The wrestling isn’t bad.

My prayer is that you find yourself leaning in… Because IF the resurrection is true… it changes everything.

B. For the Wounded

Maybe you carry pain.

Regret. Shame. Brokenness.

Easter says:

That’s not the end of your story.

WORSHIP TEAM and choir UP TO THE STAGE

Jesus walked out of a grave.

He can bring life to what feels like death.

C. For the Believer

Maybe you’ve heard this story your whole life.

Don’t let it become familiar.

This isn’t just something we celebrate once a year.

This is the foundation of everything.

Because if Jesus is alive…

That means Hope is Alive…

What does it look like to live in that more fully…

There’s a powerful moment in the resurrection story.

Early in the morning… it was still dark…

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb.

Expecting death.

Expecting finality.

Expecting grief.

But instead… She finds it empty…

And in that moment… everything changes.

And that’s what Easter does.

It meets us in our expectations of death…

And replaces them with life.

It meets us in our despair…

And replaces it with a living HOPE.

It meets us in our uncertainty…

And replaces it with truth.

CONCLUSION:

At the end of the day, the question isn’t just:

“Did it happen?”

The real question is:

“What will you do with it?”

And even now…

He’s calling you to the full life you were created for…

and to freedom from those things that would rob you of it.

It's not religion

Or performance

But a lifelong relationship. Walking with Him.

So today, you have a choice.

You can walk away unchanged.

Or you can step into something new.

Forgiveness. Freedom. Life.

And here’s the simple truth of Easter:

The tomb is empty. The grave is defeated. Jesus is alive.

And because He lives… You can live too.

Hope is ALIVE…. But is it ALIVE in you?

How cool would it be… today… on Easter… to step into this relationship with Jesus… if you're feeling God move, respond.

I will be…. I want to meet you, pray with you, encourage you…

COMMUNION:

AToday, on this Easter Sunday, we celebrate the empty tomb and the living hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Death has lost, the grave is empty, and He is alive!

As one church, we come to His table together.

Take the bread out now together, remembering His body given for us—broken so that we might be made whole. Please take the bread now.

And now, the cup, remembering His blood poured out for us—a sign of His love and the new life we have in Him.

As we do this together, let it remind us that the hope of Easter is not just a story from the past—it’s real, it’s alive, and it’s ours today.

Church… can you hear me…

Hope is alive… live like it…