Risen Son Service April 5th

HOOK

Easter is one of the most familiar stories there is. Most of us know it.

Jesus died.

Jesus rose.

We’ve heard it before.

But here’s the question we don’t always stop to ask—

What do we do with that?

Because the resurrection is not just something we believe… it calls for a response from us.”

And 1 Peter 1 shows us why.”

LOOK

1 Peter 1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Peter doesn’t start with what we should do.

He starts with what God has done.

Before Easter is a response… it is first a reality.

Something God accomplished for us that we could never accomplish on our own.

And in one verse, Peter gives us three anchors for what the resurrection actually means.

Easter means mercy.

Not getting what we deserve.

God did not meet us with judgment, but with compassion.

This morning, don’t rush past that… sit in it.

You are here because of His mercy.

Easter means new life.

He says we’ve been born again.

Not improved… not cleaned up… made new.

This morning, we celebrate that in Christ, we are not what we once were.

Easter means a living hope.

Not wishful thinking.

Not “maybe things will work out.”

Christian hope is a confident expectation that God will do everything He has promised, secured through the resurrection of Jesus.

A hope that is alive because Jesus is alive.

This morning, we remember—our hope is not uncertain… it is secure.

And don’t miss this—

Mercy, new life, and living hope are not separate ideas.

They all flow from one moment.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

TURN

Now go back to how Peter starts—

1 Peter 1:3 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” That’s not random.

When Peter says,

“Blessed be the God and Father…”

he’s not saying God receives something from us.

God doesn’t need anything from us

The word “blessed” here means:

to praise, to honor, to speak well of—to declare that God is worthy.

It’s a verbal response.

It’s saying, out loud or in your heart:

“God, You are good. You are right. You are worthy of everything.”

TOOK

So what’s the right response to the resurrection?

Easter we respond in worship.

LAND IT

In just a few minutes, we’re going to worship together.

And this isn’t performance.

This isn’t routine.

This isn’t just what we do on Easter.

This is our response—

to His mercy…

to new life…

to a living hope.”

Final Statements

So when we sing…

we’re not just singing.

We’re responding.