Easter Sunday 2026

Bottom line

When we truly believe in the saving power of Jesus’ resurrection, it completely changes our life and the lives of those around us.

Opening Line

Have you ever thought you had a handle on something, only to realize that you had only just scratched the surface of it?

Introduction

When I was in bible school, I remember becoming pretty arrogant, thinking that I was really something special because of everything I was studying. I devoted my whole four years to studying and uderstanding the Bible, believing that it was the key to leading a successful ministry. I still believe it wholeheartedly, but I wish I had taken a few classes on how to actually run a church along the way.

It was bad. I would come home on the weekends to do laundry and enjoy some home cooked meals, and inevitably I would have it out with my mom. She would say something, and I would feel the urge to correct her because I was so smart. Slowly but surely, I was becoming unteachable, at least from people who I didn’t think had anything to offer.

Than it happened. I was in my final year of Bible College, in the home stretch before grad. I was sitting in my four year Bible Synthesis class, which is just a fancy way of saying it was advanced Biblical Studies. I was surrounded by people who thought the same way I did, that we had arrived in knowledge.

Then our professor walked in, and in that first week would proceed to show us just how deep and multi-layered Scripture really was. Within 2 classes at least half of us in the class felt like we were in the same place as we were in our first year. After four years of studying and all the knowledge we had accumulated, we just had really just scratched the surface of all there was to know, and even if we spent the rest of our lives studying this book, there would always be more to know.

Main Point

I think this experience is connected to why I enjoy this video so much. I’ve shown this before, but I think this is one we will come back to often.

video of guy new to scripture.

Last time I showed this video, I said that I wanted to fill our church with people who could relate to him. Since then, we’ve grown quite a bit. So out of curiosity, how many people feel like they relate to the guy with the little bible?

wait for response

Thank you for coming. Thank you for being here. I’m honestly excited for the journey of faith that you are about the embark on.

But as I reflect on the idea of filling our church with people who are empty canvases, just waiting for Jesus to write on their heart and life, I realize that it is a two-fold request. I don’t just want people who are new to church and the Bible to fill our church; I want people who have been a part of church for a long time and have not lost that sense of wonder when it comes to faith.

Why it matters

One of the challenges that the Western church faces, particularly its pastors, is that many people who have been coming to church for while start to believe that they can’t be taught anything new. They arrive at church thinking they’re smarter than the guy with the mic and refuse to even listen to what is being said. Since we live in the age of information, this mindset isn’t even predicated by age. Sometimes this mindset is sunk into the minds of those who have too much time on their hands and the school of Tik Tok has so filled their heads with half truths and full lies that there is no room for anything else.

These people are easy to pick out. The ones who have been to more Easter services then some of have been alive will often come to Easter with their arms crossed, leaning back in their chair, largely disengaged with the message. Those who have been schooled by Tik Tok will take the some posture, or they will pull out their phone and read their social feed rather than create space to be challenged.

Revelation 2:4 NLT

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!

Church, I invite you this morning, whether this is you first Easter service or your fiftieth, to lean in. I invite you to listen to the story with fresh ears, ready to receive something new, expecting God to speak to you this morning. Lean in, because you love Jesus, and the story of his sacrifice still warms your heart and fills you with excitement for life. Lean in, the way you do when you tell the story of how you met your spouse or a favorite story from your life. Lean in the way you do when you’re learning something that excites you, so that you are equipped to share the story with someone close to you.

Lean in, Church, and remember the love Jesus has for you and you have for him.

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Before we dive in, I want to set the stage for you. Jesus is dead. The Romans have whipped beyond recognition, marched him through Jerusalem with a 250 pound on his shoulder. He has been mocked by the Jews and Romans alike. His hands and feet have been nailed to the cross, a crown of thorns pressed onto his head. After he dies, the Roman centurion drove a spear into his side to make sure he was dead. His followers took him off the cross, wrapped him in cloths, and laid him in a new tomb. The Pharisees had a large stone rolled in front of the tomb, a seal placed on it, and Roman guards placed out front so the body can’t be stolen. The Pharisees think they have won, and the disciples are mourning the loss of their friend and teacher.

Scripture

Matthew 28:1–10 NLT

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Jesus is Alive!

Now all four gospels tell the story of the resurrection, and each one has a slightly different twist on it, but the basic facts are the same. The women came to the tomb, the tomb was empty, an angel or two were hanging out and explained that Jesus was alive, and the women ran to tell the other disciples.

The women being the first ones to see the empty tomb and declare the resurrection of Jesus is no small detail; in fact, it gives credibility to the story.

1. Jesus’ resurrection is credible

In those days, the testimony of a woman didn’t hold much weight. If the story of Jesus’ resurrection was made up, it wouldn’t have started with the testimony of women. One of the disciples would have been the first one to see the empty. The fact that women were the first ones there, and all four authors state as much, actually leans towards the legitimacy of the account.

Additionally, the Apostle Paul says this in 1 Cor 15:1-8

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 NLT

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 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.

Regardless of era in history, eye witness testimony remains one of the most reliable forms of evidence we have. But we’re not just talking about 1 or two people. We’re not even just talking about the 11, who could have conspired to come up with the story. Over 500 people saw him all at once.

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Added to the eye witness accounts of him being alive, the fact that the apostles were all willing to die for their testimony of his resurrection also adds to the credibility. Of the 12 disciples of Jesus, Judas hung himself out of guilt, and John died of old age on the island of Patmos, though that was after they attempted to boil him alive and failed. Other than those two, the other 10 were excuted in a number of different ways for the message of Jesus’ resurrection. If it was not true, if the story was a lie made up by them, someone would have cracked. But they didn’t, because they knew what they saw was true and it was worth dying for.

But how did they know that it was Jesus?

2. Jesus had the same body

In the story we started with, it says that when women saw Jesus, they fell down and grasped his feet. This is significant because there have been some that suggest it was just Jesus in spirit form. It was simply just a vision of Jesus, not actually him alive and on earth.

Let me tell you, you can’t grabbed the feet of a spirit because it is immaterial. You can’t run into a vision. Jesus was standing there, in front of the women, and they could interact with him the way they could prior to the crucifixion.

Look at some of the other things that the gospel writers record.

Luke 24:35–43 NLT

Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched.

So even the disciples thought he was a ghost. But look what Jesus says. Ghosts don’t have bodies. To reinforce the fact that he was really there with them, he even ate fish with them watching. Personally, I would’ve hoped for something other than broiled fish, but you work with what you got.

John 20:24–29 NLT

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Now Thomas gets a bad wrap here. He was has been remembered as doubting Thomas, but can you be honest. Who is with Thomas in needing a little proof? Everyone else has seen him, why wouldn’t he want the same experience?

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To this I want to point out the goodness of Jesus. Despite the fact that Thomas had his questions and doubts, Jesus meets him in his doubts. He appears again to all of them and allows Thomas to touch the wounds and know that he really was still alive.

One of the best parts about faith in Christ is the fact that Jesus is bigger than your doubts. In fact, it is often in the process of asking questions and digging into things that your faith grows.

But there is a risk that comes with doubt. Since we live in the information age, you need to be careful where you go looking for information. Not everyone who claims to be a pastor or bible teacher is one to be tested. It is why the Apostle John tells you to test everything. It is why I always encourage you to test what you hear against the word, which is useful for teaching and correction. It is also why Scripture implores disciples to be plugged into a church, so that the rest of the body can keep you accountable. Questions are good, as long as they lead you back to Jesus.

But I want to bring it back to where the story of Thomas ended. Blessed are those who believe without seeing.

3. Belief in the resurrection is what saves you.

Romans 10:9–13 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. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

This is really important. When the bible says that anyone who believes will be saved. This is what the Baker Encyclopdia of the Bible says about belief.

Conviction based on testimony that something is true or that someone is reliable. As used in the Bible, to believe in God involves the element of trust, not mere acknowledgment of his existence.

To believe in something, specifically to believe in the resurrection of the Jesus, is not simply to acknowledge that it happened, but to trust it and allow it to impact your life. It is the difference between someone who says that they believe that Jesus rose from the dead, but lives as though he didn’t, and someone who lives like Jesus died for their sins and gave them new life.

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Transition to Application

It is when you really believe that Jesus Christ lived the perfect life, died for your sins, and rose again on the third day, defeating death in the process, that you really begin to see the difference in your own life.

Main To Do

The punishment for sin is death. When Adam and Eve first sinned, an animal died in their place and they were given clothes made from the animal to cover themselves. Today, so that you don’t have to die for your sins, Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, died once to pay for all mankind in all of human history. It was awful way to die, but he loved you enough to be willing to do it.

The challenge is that you need to surrender to Jesus every day. Luke says that you need to take up your cross, die to self, so that you can truly live. The reality is that the longer you allow sin in your life, it slowly kills you. It kills your joy, your motivation, your satisfaction. It will kill your relationships, your mental health, and your finances.

So this morning, instead of doing discussion questions, I want to direct your attention to the card you got this morning when you walked in. For those watching online, feel free to share in comments or send a private message.

Why it matters

Start by asking yourself. Do I believe that Jesus is Lord of my life and that God raised him back to life, or do I simply acknowledge those truths but they have no impact on my life?

If you are here and want to move your life from acknowledgment to full believing, then mark ‘Come Here’ as the Holy Spirit is leading you to make the decison to fully commit to Jesus.

If you made a commitment to Jesus in the past, but honestly feel like you’ve drifted away recently, then mark ‘Come Back’ to let us know you want to get back on track with Jesus.

If you’re here, and things are OK, but you just feel that they could be better, mark “Come Closer” to let us know you want to grow in your faith.

Once you’ve filled out those cards, I want you to drop them into the box by the door on the way out. We will follow up this week and connect with you based on your answers.

The resurrection of Jesus is good news, not just for you but for everyone in your community. As we are in the easter season, as you go ask, who is somone I can share the good news of Jesus with?

Closing Line

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can you make sure that your faith remains fresh and constantly evolving, rather than stagnant?

How can you approach conversations about your faith with a sense of wonder and openness?