Easter Sermon
Readings
Isaiah 25:6-9
Corinthians 15:1-11
Mark 16:1-8
Sermon Notes
People who see us celebrate Easter might not understand why it is so important. On Easter we celebrate the Christ that rose. We celebrate the command that the angels gave the women at the tomb, to go and tell the good news of his raising from the dead. Why is this such good news? Because if Jesus had not physically rose from the dead, we’d all be pretty pathetic. It would be so sad that we were all fooled by some guy that made empty promises. The bible tells us that if Christ did not rise from the dead, we are still in our sins, we are still destined to go to hell and we might as well enjoy this short life because we cannot change it. But Christ did rise, and because he did rise from the dead, his promises are certain. The promise that all who believe in Christ will rise from the dead too. That is the certainty of our faith.
Now, we have to tell people this, but be warned that people don’t only deny that Jesus physically rose from the dead but that we live in a world which claims that God himself is dead.
A couple years back, a few phycologists came out with a paper that said God is dead. They based it on looking at the human state and saying that there would be no way that a loving God would let so much stuff happen in this world; God must be dead. The other reason they used is that we humans are advancing in technology so that we no longer need a God to explain the questions in life.
Actually this idea nothing new. Adam and Eve acted like God were dead. The thought their lives would be better if God didn’t exist. That they could choose their own route and go their own ways. Today we are guilty of the same. Our sinful natures draw us away from God and tell us that we can be god, and we can do it ourselves. That is our sinful nature. And there is no way for us to change our sinful nature. We still need forgiveness. That is why Jesus went to the cross.