Many learned men and women have pondered the great questions of life and have been unable to agree upon a definitive answer. What is the meaning of life? How do I discover my specific role in life? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is there a God? Can I know God? What is God like? How can I find true love? Can I be forgiven of my sins? Is there hope for me to change and become a better person? Is it too late for me?
As we celebrate what we Christians call “Resurrection Sunday” we will discover how the life, death, and resurrection of Christ answers life’s greatest questions.
The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith. And the Apostle Paul even wrote that if there was no resurrection then our faith is in vain…
Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message, I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as thoughI had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him… But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 &12-20 (NLT)
He is risen indeed! And because He has risen, we can have confident hope in our future resurrection and eternal life with God.
Happy Resurrection Day!
Pastor Mike