Easter Sunday 2020

Easter Sunday 2020

What have we learned?

1. Church is more than a building.

2. Church is also not less than the gathering.

3. Our hope is certain.

Maybe it has been a while since you’ve heard the Easter story.

Why is this story so important? What difference does this story make in my life?

What really happened in that tomb? How has the resurrection changed all of human history?

A discouraged group of women came with little hope and low expectations to honor a dead rabbi.

This is how many of you feel today - no hope and very low expectations.

Luke 24:1-12 NIV

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”

• Jesus died. He was extinguished. He experienced the same death we will experience.

What’s the hope of Easter? What does this mean to me?

1. Jesus is with us in every human struggle.

He’ s with us in every stage of life, because he has experienced every stage of life – birth, childhood, puberty, junior high lunch table, pain, and death.

At the cross, Jesus was isolated, separated from his friends, staring at death.

2. Because He lives, the worst thing is never the last thing.

Romans 8:10-11 NIV

“But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”

Jesus will have the last word!

1 Cor 15 – If Jesus was not resurrected, we should be pitied. 500 witnesses

Conclusion:

Jesus was not resurrected to turn bad people into good people.

He was resurrected to bring dead people to life!

For those of us who believe and follow Jesus today is a great celebration!

For those of you who do not know Jesus, today is a great invitation!