What Difference Does Easter Make?

Happy Resurrection day! My goal this morning to to encourage you and unite you in love, so that you can have the full riches of complete understanding and that you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, which in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It is because of Jesus that we are gathered here this morning. We are celebrating his resurrection from the dead.

I do not want to waste my time or your time. I want to get to the point by asking two questions.

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean and why does his resurrection matter?

Many people share a similar view: I believe in the resurrection; I just don’t understand it. They believe in the resurrection because we have first hand accounts of it happening. We read the gospels, Acts, or any of the epistles and they will provide ample first person evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. Scriptures detail that the tomb was empty and found by women in Jesus’ ministry.

Aside from that we have historical references that Jesus met people, touched them, and talked with them after he was crucified. There is a moment described that tells us he talked to about 500 people after he had risen from the dead. A lot of people saw him.

But what does his resurrection mean? It means three things: 1) Jesus is who he claimed to be; 2) Jesus has the power he claimed to have; and 3) Jesus did what he promised to do.

The Resurrection means Jesus is who he claimed to be

John 11:25 says,

John 11:25 NIV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

That’s a pretty outrageous claim. He said things like he is God. He’s perfect. He’s the only way to eternal life. He’s the savior of the world. A lot of people try to summarize Jesus into a good teacher. “I don’t know if I believe in his deity, but he did say good things...” Here is something I know, a good teacher would never say anything like that. I could teach you moral truths and you might say, “Chase is a good teacher.” But if I started calling myself God, you wouldn’t think I was a good teacher anymore. Jesus was either who he said he was, or he was the biggest liar who ever lived.

Consider the day Jesus cleared the moneychangers out of the temple. The temple had been turned into a Trufont Flea Market, so he drove them all out. They said, “what right do you have to do this?” And he replied, “Because I am God.” Then they said, “prove it!” And he said, “Deal. Three days after you kill me, I’m going to come back to life.” He claimed to be God, and his resurrection backs up what he claimed to be.

John 14:6 says,

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

That’s a strong claim. He said, “I am the way.” He didn’t say, I’m one way, I’m a good way, or i’m one of the ways. He didn’t say all roads lead to heaven. That’s foolish. It would be like saying I can take any road and get home. There is only one road that will get me home. Jesus said, “I am the truth.” That means any other way is not the truth. He claimed to be God. He said, “No one can get you to God the Father except by me.”

The Resurrection means Jesus has the power he claimed to have

At the end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus says, “All power on earth and in heaven has been given to me.” Because Jesus is God, he can also do everything God can do. When he says in John 10:18

John 10:18 NIV

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

He means it. No force on earth could keep Jesus in the tomb. The Jewish leaders set him up to die, the Romans killed him, put him in a tomb, put a big stone in front, sealed it with the Roman seal, and posted a 24-hour guard. They were trying to prevent the inevitable. Jesus had already told them: You can’t stop me. I can give my life away, and I can take it up again.

The Resurrection means Jesus did what he promised to do

In Mark 10:34 Jesus tells the disciples about what will happen to him and he says the chief priests and teachers of the law,

Mark 10:34 NIV

34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

The cross was no surprise to Jesus. It was all a part of God’s plan.

When the women found the empty tomb they were met by an angel who said, “don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen! Just like he said he would.” Jesus did what he promised and when God makes a promise, you can count on it. That’s what the resurrection means — because Jesus did rise from the dead, he is who he said he was, he has the power he said he had, and he keeps the promises he makes.

So what? Why does the resurrection matter to me? It matters for three reasons: because Jesus is who he claimed to be, has the power he claimed to have, and does what he promises to do.

The Resurrection matters because my past can be forgiven

That’s good news. Have you ever been halfway through a project and wished you could start over? You realized the colors and design clash, but there is no turning back unless you got the cash flow to support a big change. A lot of times people feel that way about life. They get halfway through life and wish they could start over. If only this or that had been different. We have all done things we wish we hadn’t done, said things we wish we hadn’t said, and thought things we wish we hadn’t thought. We all have regrets. We all feel bad about things. We all have guilt.

Messy divorces. Messy family dynamics. Lost job opportunities. Wasted time on insignificant things rather than important things. Feeling on the verge of collapse because things have crumbled around them. Unable to move, to react or relate anymore.

The tragedy is, I know a lot of people like that. They can’t get on with the present and the future because they’re stuck in the past. Shame, guilt, or regret has tied them down. Sometimes it looks like letting a former relationship mess up their current one. They have given up, “guess I’ll have to live with this the rest of my life.” They’re running around with this emotional and spiritual baggage, and they’re wondering why they’re stuck.

But here is the good news. Marianne read this earlier from Colossians and we’re going to read it again. Page 1183 in your chair Bibles — Colossians 2:13-14 says

Colossians 2:13–14 NIV

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

This is God’s plan. Jesus nailed our sins to the cross. He nailed it all to the cross. He paid for my guilt, shame, regret, sin. This means that I don’t have to pay for it. He was hung for my hang-ups. Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, so I can quit nailing myself to the cross. He has created a way to forgive your past. He created a way to cancel every debt you owe — emotional, relational, spiritual, physical. All of them are cancelled.

How long do you remember a bill that’s been paid? I don’t remember it at all. Once it has been paid, I forget it. The point is this: once God has forgiven it, I can forget it. That’s good news. Because Jesus is who he said he was, my past can be forgiven. I don’t have to carry a load of guilt around. It’s unnecessary.

Consider Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 NIV

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

You can walk out here this morning knowing that every single thing you’ve ever done wrong until this point is completely forgiven. That’s good news and news I can use. No condemnation. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, he came to save it. He wants to change you, help you, give you a new beginning and a clear conscience.

The Resurrection matters because my present problems can be managed

Much of life is unmanageable. I have spoken to scores of people in the last decade of ministry who say things like, “my life is out of control. I feel powerless to change my situation. I feel powerless to break this bad habit. I feel powerless to save my relationship. I feel powerless to get out of debt. I feel powerless to manage my time and schedule.”

Friend, what you need is power greater than yourself. You were never meant to do this life in your own power. God wants to be reconciled with you and welcome you into fellowship with him and others. Ephesians 1:19-20 says,

Ephesians 1:19–20 NLT

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

The same power that enabled Jesus to rise from the dead will help you rise above your problems. The same power God used at the resurrection 2,000 years ago can be used in your life now. We don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know what’s going to happen next year, month, or week. But it doesn’t matter, because even though it is out of my control, it is not out of God’s. He will give you the power to face it. Philippians 4:13 says

Philippians 4:13 NLT

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

God is saying, abide in my power. Many of you crawled in here spiritually this morning. You’ve had a miserable week and God is telling you now: don’t give up.

There is no problem too big for God. No situation too hopeless. Why does the resurrection matter? Because my past can be forgiven, my present can be managed, and:

The Resurrection matters because my future can be secure

One of the universal problems we all have is death. Everybody dies. Death is difficult to talk about. Death is difficult to deal with. Generation Z is considered the sad generation. Life has never been better, easier, simpler in all human history and we are raising the saddest generation. Sad because there is a lack of hope, connection, and being known. Sad because after this life there is the unknown among them of what will come next.

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NIV)

17 ... And so we will be with the Lord forever.

That is the thing though. We cannot find joyful eternal life after death without Jesus and his work in dying for us and rising again. Jesus was truly God and truly man who lived without sin, evil, deceit, or wickedness while being tempted in every way like us. We needed to perfectly emulate Jesus in order to achieve eternal life with God without his help. Paul tells us in Romans that all have fallen short of the glory of God — but thanks to Jesus Christ who conquered sin, death, and the grave!

This is what the Bible says. Jesus has paid the price. This is news you can use. A Christian is something who is reconciled with God and is welcomed into the body of Christ, the church.

There are always people out there who rather sit in the unknown and hope for the best. They attempt to simply be sincere, a good person, be kind, and even serve. These are all good things, but if we are not abiding in Jesus’ life then they are worthless. You will always fall short without his grace.

People think they’ll get into heaven by ritual or heritage. If I join a church, then I’ll be a Christian. Sitting in a church will make you a Christian as much as sitting in a stadium makes you an elite athlete. My mom was a Christian. So what? This is not her decision. It’s yours! This is a decision that you need to accept or reject yourself.

All of these fall short. We cannot sit in the unknown and hope for the best. But there is hope. 1 Peter 1:3 says

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Hope means you don’t fear death anymore. Your future is secure because you have made peace with God in Jesus Christ.

Would you like to have everything you’ve ever done wrong completely forgiven? Would you like to have a clear conscience? Would you like to abide with God who uses his power to help you manage the problems in your life? Would you like to have your future secured?

That is the difference Easter can make. Understanding why Easter happened is not enough. You have to do something about it. You have to take action.

You have to repent of your sin, wickedness, evil, deceit and turn to God in faith that Jesus died, rose, and ascended into heaven for you. That is how Easter can make a difference in your life.

All of us are here this morning for different reasons. It’s tradition. I was invited by a friend. You saw a social media post. It doesn’t matter why you think you came here. You are not here by accident. God brought you here to communicate with you; to say something to you.

God is saying, “you matter to me. I know you. I created you. I want to be reconciled with you. I want you to do life with me.” This is what Easter is all about. God wants you to come with an open heart in faith and say, “I believe. I want to be a follower of the good news that has changed the world.” If this is you would you make a commitment to talk with a friend, pastor, elder, or fill out the connect card in your bulletin and drop it off at one of our giving boxes after so we can help you celebrate this decision of faith with baptism into Christ Jesus?

Some of you have been close to God in the past, but you’ve drifted away. Isaiah 54:7 says,

Isaiah 54:7 The Message

7 Your Redeemer God says: “I left you, but only for a moment. Now, with enormous compassion, I’m bringing you back.

Nobody will ever have a love for you as much as Jesus Christ does. You matter to God and he brought you here this morning to tell you that. He is saying come home, beloved. If this is you would you make a re-commitment to talk with a friend, pastor, elder, or fill out the connect card in your bulletin and drop it off at one of our giving boxes after so we can help train you in being a disciple?

Some of you have not found a church home. You’re parts of the body that are wandering about. First Church would love to be your spiritual family. We welcome you here. This place is helping real people encounter the real God who saves. We want to teach people how to love and live in God’s Kingdom. We’d love to have you here.

Finally, I’m sure some of you are barely hanging on; you’ve been discouraged, depressed, despondent. Stress and pressure has been building up. God has brought you here so he could say, “Give it all to me. Let go and let me work in your life.” If this is you, would you commit to trusting Jesus with these problems you are facing? Would you give him your life — the good, bad, and ugly — knowing he is doing a good work because Jesus did what he promised and when God makes a promise, you can count on it.

Pray with me.