Easter 2026

Intro: some of my favorite momenta in ministry have been in a hospital waiting roomj

I have spent countless hours with families who have spent entire nights in a hospital waiting room. A loved one was in critical condition, and hour after hour they waited.  

They tried to talk, but the conversation kept fading. They tried to rest, but no one really could. Because everything hinged on what the doctor would eventually say. 

And when the doctor finally walked in, everything changed in a moment. One sentence shifted the entire atmosphere. Either grief settled in, or relief flooded the room. 

And here’s what I want you to feel this morning. Easter is that moment, not just for one family, but for the entire world. The question is simple; did Jesus walk out of the grave or not?  

And the answer to that question determines everything about your life, your sin, your future, and your hope. There are moments in life when everything hinges on one reality.  

One event. One truth that, if it stands, everything stands with it, and if it falls, everything collapses. Easter is that moment.  

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a side note in Christianity. It is not an optional belief that we can take or leave. It is the foundation. It is the heartbeat.  

It is the decisive declaration that everything Jesus said and everything Jesus did is true. And if the resurrection is not real, then none of this matters.  

Not our songs. Not our prayers. Not this sermon. Not even our faith. The apostle Paul says it plainly in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 ESV

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But 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 preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

That is staggering. Paul is saying that if Easter did not happen, Christianity is not just slightly off. It is completely empty. It is hollow. It is powerless. It is, at its core, a lie.  

But then, just a few verses later, he declares with thunder in his voice, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.” That changes everything. 

So, the question before us this morning is simple but massive, why does the resurrection even matter? Before we move into our first point, we need to feel the weight of what Paul is saying.  

Because until we understand what would be true if Christ had not risen, we will never fully grasp the glory of what is true because He has.

Without the resurrection, our faith is empty and we are still in our sins.  

Let me say it plainly, if Jesus did not walk out of that tomb on the third day, then we are wasting our time here this morning. Paul says our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.  

That word vain means empty, useless, without substance. It means that everything we are doing collapses into nothing if the resurrection is not real. 

And even more sobering, Paul says, “you are still in your sins.” That is the real issue. Because the problem of humanity is not just that we need encouragement or direction. The problem is that we are sinners.  

Romans 3:20 tells us that “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.” We cannot fix ourselves. We cannot clean ourselves up. The cost of our sin is too high for us to pay. 

So Jesus comes, and He lives the life we could not live, and He dies the death we deserved to die. But if He stays in the grave, then His death was just another death.  

Another tragic ending. Another failed attempt. But the resurrection is God’s declaration that the payment was accepted, that the sacrifice was sufficient, that sin was truly dealt with. 

You see, the cross without the resurrection would leave us with questions. Did it work? Was it enough? Is the debt really paid?  

But the empty tomb answers every one of those questions with a resounding yes. The resurrection is God’s receipt that the price has been paid in full. 

Jesus Himself said in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” In Matthew 16:21 He told His disciples that He must suffer, be killed, and on the third day be raised.  

If the resurrection did not happen, then Jesus is not just mistaken, He is a false witness. And if He is a false witness, then He cannot be trusted. And if He cannot be trusted, then we have no Savior. 

But He did rise. And because He did, we are not still in our sins. There is forgiveness. There is cleansing. There is justification before a holy God. 

Now let that land on your heart. Because some of you walked in here carrying the weight of your sin. You know your failures. You know your regrets. You know the things you wish you could undo.  

And the resurrection speaks directly into that. It declares that in Christ, your sin does not get the final word. Jesus does. That brings us to the second truth. 

2. Without the resurrection, our message is a lie and we are false witnesses.  

Paul does not soften this. He says that if Christ has not been raised, “we are even found to be misrepresenting God.” In other words, we are liars. We are telling people something that is not true.  

We are proclaiming a gospel that has no power and no reality. Think about that. Every sermon, every testimony, every song that declares “He is risen” would be a lie if the tomb were still occupied.  

Christianity would not just be mistaken, it would be deceptive. And not only that, Jesus Himself would be a liar. Because over and over again, He said that He would rise.  

In Matthew 12:39-40 He compared His coming resurrection to Jonah being in the belly of the fish for three days.  

In Matthew 16:21 He told His disciples plainly that He would be raised on the third day. The resurrection was not an afterthought. It was central to His mission. 

So, if He did not rise, then He is not who He claimed to be. But if He did rise, then everything He said is true. Every promise. Every warning. Every claim about His identity. 

And this is where the resurrection confronts us. Because it forces us to make a decision about Jesus. He is not just a good teacher. He is not just a moral example.  

He is either the risen Lord or He is not worth following at all. But the testimony of Scripture is clear. The tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away. The grave clothes are left behind.  

And the risen Christ appeared to His disciples, to more than five hundred at one time, to men and women who were so transformed by what they saw that they were willing to give their lives for it. 

Liars do not die for what they know is false. But witnesses will die for what they know is true. So, the resurrection matters because it validates the message.  

It confirms that God has acted in history. It declares that Jesus is who He said He is. 

And that means when Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” we can trust Him. When He says, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” we can hold onto that with confidence.  

When He says, “It is finished,” we know that it truly is. Now here is the transition into our final point, because the resurrection does not just deal with our past sin and our present faith, it also secures our future hope. 

3. Because of the resurrection, our future is secure and our hope is alive.  

Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 15 to say, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” That word first fruits is important.  

It means that what happened to Jesus is the beginning of what will happen to all who belong to Him. Now listen to what Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 15:49-53.  

This is the hope of Easter. Not just that Jesus rose, but that because He rose, we will too. Death does not get the last word. The grave is not the end. The brokenness of this world is not the final chapter.  

Because Jesus walked out of that tomb, a day is coming when everything sad will come untrue. A day is coming when what is perishable will put on the imperishable, when what is mortal will put on immortality. 

And that changes how we live right now. It means that our suffering is not pointless. It means that our losses are not final. It means that even in the face of death, we grieve, but not as those who have no hope. 

And it also means that this life is not all there is. We are not living just for here and now. We are living in light of eternity. We are living for a kingdom that cannot be shaken. 

So here is the question that presses on us this morning, if the resurrection is true, and it is, then what does that mean for your life? 

It means you cannot stay neutral about Jesus. It means you cannot treat Him as optional. It means you are called to trust Him, to follow Him, to surrender your life to Him. 

And for those who already believe, it means you do not live defeated. You do not live as if sin still owns you. You do not live as if death still wins. You live as people of the resurrection.

People who have been forgiven. People who have been made new. People who have a living hope. So here is the take home application.  

First, if you have never trusted Christ, today is the day. The resurrection is God’s invitation to you. Turn from your sin. Place your faith in Jesus.  

Receive the forgiveness that He purchased and the life that He offers. 

Second, if you are carrying guilt and shame, bring it into the light of the resurrection. Stop trying to pay for what Jesus has already paid for.  

Rest in the finished work of Christ. Walk in the freedom that He has secured for you. 

And third, live like the resurrection is true. Let it shape your priorities. Let it fuel your obedience. Let it give you courage in the face of fear and hope in the face of suffering. 

Because this is not just a story we remember once a year. This is the reality that defines everything. 

Christ is risen. And because He is risen, sin is defeated, death is conquered, and hope is alive forever.