The Resurrection

Jesus Defeats Sin and Death

In many streams of Christianity, Easter is even more important than Christmas. Why? Because it celebrates Jesus’ divinity and the purpose of His coming to the earth. The Easter holiday commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His promise of eternal life to all who believe in Him.

The account of Jesus’ resurrection can be found in all four of the Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each book (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20) tells a slightly different account of the story from the authors’ differing perspectives. What’s consistent across all books is that Jesus was previously in the tomb where He was buried after his crucifixion and that His body was mysteriously gone after three days.

Easter is Historical and Amazing

This account is a declaration of what Christians believe: that Jesus Christ came to earth, died for the sins of humanity, and defeated the powers of death through His resurrection. Easter is the yearly celebration of this miracle and the hope for believers of their life in Christ, which includes the forgiveness of all their sins and the promise of their eternal life.

In some accounts, Jesus Himself appears; in others, it’s angels that bring the news of His resurrection. But in any case, Jesus’ body has been removed from the tomb without explanation. The Biblical accounts then tell of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and other followers (Acts 1) before finally ascending into Heaven.

For three days following His crucifixion, believers at the time questioned whether Jesus really was the Son of God. By all appearances, it seemed death had defeated Him. But upon His resurrection, He proved that He was not just a human but divine. The apostle Paul summarizes the sequence of events in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 when he says, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also…”

Jesus Dies

If you have any questions, we would love to chat with you and get to know you more. The Gospel is the most important thing you can ever consider and make a decision about, and we would love to help you as you think about the Easter story of Jesus.

Thanks for joining us this Easter!
Our Easter service will be on Sunday APRIL 20 at 10:45am.