series: easter messages

Jesus has had a busy week! But we celebrate today the dawning of the new week, the new work that God has in store for us in the resurrection. On Good Friday we thought through some of the implications of the cross, and today we get to do the same for the empty tomb. What are we to make of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?

“He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Is this just a cute phrase that the early church paraded around to who the worthiness of Jesus for worship and adoration, with out any real meaning? What does his resurrection really mean for us? More, perhaps, than you think. As Paul writes to the Corinthians and defend the resurrection, we learn much about the importance and the necessity of Jesus’ resurrection. Today, we will trace his argument in 1 Corinthians 15. Let us see the good of what we proclaim!

Christmas is the American holiday. No other day comes close, really. Christmas has its own music, sweaters, trees, cookies, and movies. Easter, at least in America, cannot compete with that! Yet, since Christianity’s inception, Resurrection Sunday has been the church’s most important day of remembrance. It is not just that we celebrate it one day a year, but every Sunday that we gather is a microcosm of this day. But why make such a fuss? Why spend so much time bothering over something that happened so long ago? Given all that happens in the world today, all that we face, is this worthy of our time? Is Jesus worthy of all this?

Christ is risen! This statement is simple, and yet for Christians since that fateful morning some 2,00 years ago, it is the most profound thing we can utter. It is the core and center of our faith, and thus of our salvation. But if this is true, why is it such a New Testament phenomenon? The Old Testament didn't make much out of the resurrection, did it? Today, we think through the nature of the promises that God made to Abraham, and what it was that Abraham believed in. Abraham was not just trusting in any God, but a God who "gives life to the dead" (Romans 4:17). Today, we see how Abraham's faith is indeed our faith, a faith in the resurrection.

The idea of "firstfruits" is lost on many. An agricultural reference, it refers to the offering usually given during the first part of the harvest - but it means much more than that. The firstfruits were not just fruits, but the best of the produce of the land, given to God as an indication that all of it belonged to him, to secure his blessing on the rest of the harvest. When Paul calls Christ the "firstfruits" he has all of this in mind, and likely more. What, then, does this term add to our understanding of Jesus' resurrection?

Jesus is risen! This truth is the bedrock of Christian belief and of Christianity since its first days. It is the reason Christians are reconciled to God, the assurance of things not seen, the justification of the work and life of Jesus Christ. We have many reasons to believe that this event is not a mere work of fantasy, a nice myth that helps us with our pain and provides hope to the hopeless. We have many reasons to believe in it, but what does it mean? In some senses, this is the more basic question, and one that we will focus on today.

Jesus Christ is the risen King over all things! But do you worship him as God? Are you sure what your god is?

Why Jesus? Why do people still worship him and live for him after 200 years?