The Hope of Resurrection

Happy Easter, church. This is the day. This is the day we've been waiting for. And I want you to hear me when I say this: if you walked through the doors today carrying something heavy, if this week has been hard, if this year has been hard, what we're about to look at in God's Word has something to say about all of it.

We're going to spend our time this morning in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. If you've got your Bible, go ahead and turn there. If you don't have one, that's okay. I'll put the verses up so you can follow along.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to a church in a city called Corinth. Corinth was a big, busy, pagan city in ancient Greece. And the church there was struggling. Some of the people in that church had started to doubt something that you and I might take for granted on Easter morning. They had started to question whether the resurrection really happened. Whether Jesus really came back from the dead.

So Paul sat down and wrote what might be the most important chapter in the entire New Testament. And in the first twenty verses, he lays out four things that change everything. He tells us about the foundation of our faith. He gives us proof that the resurrection happened. He shows us why the resurrection has to be true. And then he declares the victory that belongs to every person who trusts in Christ.

Look at 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 4.

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 CSB

1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Did you catch that phrase? "As most important." Paul is saying, "Out of everything I've ever taught you, this is the main thing. This is the headline. This is what I want you to remember if you forget everything else." And what is it? Three facts. Christ died. Christ was buried. Christ was raised.

That's the gospel. That word "gospel" just means "good news." And this is the best news the world has ever heard. The Son of God came down from heaven, lived the life we could never live, and then went to a cross where He took the punishment for every sin you and I have ever committed. He died. They put His body in a tomb. And three days later, God raised Him from the dead.

Now notice Paul doesn't just say, "Christ died." He says Christ died for our sins. That matters. Jesus didn't die as a victim. He didn't die as a martyr. He died on purpose. He died in our place. He took what we deserved so we could receive what we don't deserve: forgiveness, freedom, and life with God forever.

And then Paul says something twice that we shouldn't miss. He says "according to the Scriptures." He says it after "Christ died for our sins" and again after "he was raised on the third day." Why does he say that? He's telling us this wasn't an accident. This wasn't Plan B. God had been pointing to this moment for thousands of years through the Old Testament prophets. Every sacrifice in the temple. Every promise of a Savior. Every word about a suffering servant who would bear the sins of the people. It was all pointing to Jesus.

The resurrection wasn't a surprise ending. It was God keeping His promise.

And that's the foundation. Not a feeling. Not a philosophy. Not a set of moral teachings. The foundation of the Christian faith is something that actually happened in real history. A real man died a real death and was really raised back to life on a real Sunday morning. Everything we believe stands or falls on that.

So here's a question for you this morning. What is your faith built on? Is it built on something you feel? On a tradition you grew up with? On a general idea that God is out there somewhere? Or is it built on this: that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day?

Because if your faith is built on the resurrection, it can hold the weight of anything life throws at you. That's a foundation that doesn't crack.

Now, somebody might say, "Okay, pastor, that's a nice story. But how do we know it really happened?" Fair question. Paul was ready for it. Look at verses 5 through 8.

1 Corinthians 15:5–8 CSB

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

Paul makes a list of people who saw Jesus alive after He was dead and buried. And this list isn't small. He appeared to Cephas, better known as Peter, the disciple who had denied even knowing Jesus three times the night before the crucifixion. He appeared to the twelve disciples. He appeared to more than five hundred people at one time. He appeared to James, His own half-brother, who didn't believe in Him during His earthly ministry. Think about that one. James grew up with Jesus. He watched Him eat breakfast. He saw Him every day. And he didn't believe. But something happened that changed James from a skeptic into a leader of the early church. He saw his brother alive after watching Him die. And then Paul says, "He appeared to me." And remember who Paul was before he met the risen Christ. He was a man named Saul who made it his mission to arrest and kill Christians. He hated the church. He hated the name of Jesus. And then the risen Jesus appeared to him on a road, and it turned his whole life upside down. The man who once destroyed the church became the greatest missionary the church has ever known.

Now think about that for a second. Paul is writing this letter around 55 AD. That's only about twenty-five years after the resurrection. And he says most of those five hundred people are still alive. Do you see what he's doing? He's saying, "If you don't believe me, go ask them. They're still around. They'll tell you what they saw."

This isn't a legend that grew over hundreds of years. This isn't a myth passed down through generations until nobody could check the facts. This was written within the lifetime of the eyewitnesses. That matters.

And look at the variety of people who saw Him. It wasn't just one person having a vision in the middle of the night. It was groups of people. Hundreds of people. People who had nothing to gain by making this up and everything to lose. Most of the apostles died for their claim that Jesus was alive. People will die for something they believe to be true. But nobody dies for something they know is a lie.

Now I want you to turn to John chapter 20 for a moment, because John gives us one of the most powerful resurrection stories in the Bible.

John 20:1–2 CSB

1 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”

Picture this scene. It's early on Sunday morning. The sky is still dark. Mary Magdalene walks to the tomb where they laid Jesus' body two days before. She's going to finish preparing His body for burial. She's grieving. She's heartbroken. And when she gets there, the stone that sealed the tomb has been rolled away.

Her first thought isn't resurrection. Her first thought is that somebody stole the body. She runs back to tell Peter and John. They come running to the tomb. John gets there first. He looks in and sees the linen cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus' body, just lying there. Peter goes inside. The burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head is folded up neatly in a separate place. Nobody who stole a body would take the time to unwrap it and fold the grave clothes. Something else had happened here.

John 20:11–16 CSB

11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.”

Do you see that? She didn't recognize Him at first. Her eyes were full of tears. Her heart was broken. She thought He was the gardener. But then He said her name. One word. "Mary." And everything changed. She knew that voice. She'd heard it teach. She'd heard it pray. She'd heard it speak life into her when nobody else would. And now she heard it again, calling her by name. The One she thought was dead was alive. Right there. Standing in the garden. Talking to her.

And here's something I don't want you to miss. Of all the people Jesus could have appeared to first, He chose Mary Magdalene. Not a king. Not a priest. Not one of the powerful men of the day. He chose a woman who had been broken and healed by His grace. That tells you something about who Jesus is. He meets people in their pain. He calls them by name. And He doesn't wait for us to come find Him. He comes and finds us.

That's the proof of the resurrection. Not just an empty tomb. Not just a missing body. Real people saw Him. Real people heard Him. Real people touched Him. And their lives were never the same.

John 20:18 CSB

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.

"I have seen the Lord." Four words that changed the course of human history. And that same risen Lord is alive today.

Now let's go back to 1 Corinthians 15. Because Paul doesn't just give us proof. He shows us why the resurrection has to be true. Look at verses 12 through 14.

1 Corinthians 15:12–14 CSB

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

Paul uses an argument here that's hard to argue with. He says, "Let's follow this to its logical end. Let's say the resurrection didn't happen. What then?" And what he shows us is terrifying.

If Christ has not been raised, then every sermon ever preached about Jesus is worthless. Every song we've ever sung about the risen Savior is a lie. Every prayer we've ever prayed in Jesus' name went nowhere. Paul is saying that the resurrection isn't just one piece of the Christian faith. It's the piece. Take it away, and the whole thing falls apart.

1 Corinthians 15:17–19 CSB

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Did you hear that? If Christ is not raised, your faith is worthless. You're still guilty before God. Every believer who has already died is gone forever. And we are, in Paul's words, people who should be pitied more than anyone.

That's strong language. Paul isn't trying to scare us. He's trying to show us how much is riding on this. The resurrection isn't optional. It isn't a nice addition to an otherwise good moral system. Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity. Period.

Think about that for your own life. If Jesus is still dead, then death wins. Sin wins. The grave gets the last word. Every funeral you've attended, every person you've lost, every tear you've cried at a graveside, that's the end of the story. There's nothing else.

But here's why Paul walks us through all of that. He walks us into the darkness so the light hits harder. He shows us what life looks like without the resurrection so that when we see the truth, we feel the weight of it. And here's the truth.

1 Corinthians 15:20 CSB

20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Two words change everything. "But." And "as it is." Paul spent seven verses showing us the horror of a world without the resurrection. And then he turns it all around with this: "But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead."

This is the Easter message, church. Not "maybe." Not "we hope so." Not "some scholars think." Christ has been raised. It's done. It's a fact. It's the most well-attested event in the ancient world. And it changes everything.

Now look at that phrase at the end of the verse. He calls Jesus "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." That's a farming picture that Paul's readers would have understood right away. In the Old Testament, when the harvest came in, the first portion of the crop was called the firstfruits. The farmer would bring that first portion to God as an offering. And that first portion was a guarantee. It was a promise that the rest of the harvest was coming.

Do you see what Paul is saying? Jesus is the first one to rise from the dead never to die again. And His resurrection is the guarantee that everyone who belongs to Him will follow. He's the firstfruits. We're the rest of the harvest.

Other people in the Bible were raised from the dead before Jesus. Lazarus was raised. The widow's son was raised. But every one of them eventually died again. Jesus is different. He rose and He will never die again. Death had no claim on Him. And because He conquered death, He gives that same victory to everyone who puts their faith in Him.

So when you stand at the graveside of someone you love who trusted in Christ, you don't stand there without hope. You stand there knowing that the grave is not the end. Death had its moment. It did its worst on a Friday afternoon outside Jerusalem. But it could not hold the Son of God. And it will not hold His people.

Jesus walked out of that tomb on Easter morning, and when He did, He broke the power of death for every single person who puts their trust in Him. That's the victory. Death is beaten. Sin is paid for. The grave is empty. And the risen Christ is alive and seated at the right hand of God the Father right now, this morning, as we sit here.

That means your loved ones who died trusting in Jesus are not gone. They are with Him. And one day, when He returns, their bodies will be raised just like His was. Whole and perfect and never to die again. That's the promise. That's the hope. And it's not wishful thinking. It's built on the fact that Jesus Christ came out of that tomb alive.

Let me close with this. What do we do with all of this?

First, if you're a believer this morning, if you've put your trust in Jesus, then take heart. I don't know what you're carrying right now. I don't know what this past week has looked like for you. Maybe you're dealing with sickness. Maybe you're dealing with loss. Maybe you're tired and worn down and wondering if any of this matters.

Listen, it matters. Because of the resurrection, your pain is not the end of your story. Your struggle is real, but it's also temporary. There's a day coming when God is going to make all things new. And every tear you've cried, every battle you've fought, every night you spent wondering if God was even there, it was not for nothing. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead is working in your life right now. And He finishes what He starts.

Maybe you've been praying for something for a long time and you haven't seen an answer. Maybe you've been fighting the same battle for years and you're running out of strength. The resurrection tells you that God is not done. If He can bring His Son back from the dead, He can handle whatever you're walking through. You don't have to carry it alone. You don't have to figure it out by yourself. The risen Christ is with you. Today. Right now. In the middle of it.

Second, share this with somebody. Don't keep Easter to yourself. The resurrection is the best news in the history of the world, and the people around you need to hear it. Your neighbor needs to hear it. Your coworker needs to hear it. Your family member who walked away from church years ago needs to hear it. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. Just tell them what God has done for you. Tell them about the risen Jesus who changed your life. That's enough.

And third, if you're here this morning and you've never given your life to Jesus Christ, I want to talk to you for just a moment. Maybe you came because someone invited you. Maybe you came because it's Easter and it seemed like the right thing to do. Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here. And I want you to know that everything we've talked about today, the foundation, the proof, the necessity, the victory, all of it is an invitation. God is inviting you to come to Him through His Son Jesus.

The Bible says that all of us have sinned. All of us have fallen short of God's standard. And the penalty for that sin is death, separation from God forever. But God loved you so much that He sent His Son to die in your place. Jesus took your punishment on that cross. And when He rose from the dead three days later, He proved that His payment was accepted. He proved that death and sin and the grave don't get the final word.

And today, right now, you can receive that gift. You can turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus. It's not about being good enough. It's not about cleaning up your life first. It's about coming to Him exactly as you are and saying, "I need you. I believe you died for me. I believe you rose again. And I want to follow you."

If that's the decision you want to make today, I'd love to talk to you after the service. Don't leave here without settling this. Because the tomb is empty, church. Jesus is alive. And that changes everything.

[Closing Prayer]

Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for the empty tomb. Thank you that we don't serve a dead Savior. We serve a risen King. Help us to live like we believe that. Help us to carry this hope with us into the week ahead. And for anyone here today who needs to make a decision for Christ, Lord, draw them to yourself. We love you. We praise you. And we thank you that because Jesus lives, we can face whatever comes.

In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.