"Without the resurrection..."

On a Sunday morning each spring, many American children will spring from their beds with an enthusiasm exceeded only by Christmas morning. They will turn family rooms upside down and scour backyards searching for brightly colored eggs left by a legendary bunny. They’ll eat enough chocolate and other candy to spoil the breakfast feast planned for the whole family! Then they'll put on new dress clothes, go with their parents to church, and listen to a sermon about one of the most undervalued events in human history.
Right?

Wrong! Most of those who wake up Easter Sunday morning may do some of those things, but not all of them. While the Easter bunny may not have fallen out of favor, church-going certainly has! Even on holidays (“holy days”) like Easter, it seems that more people care less about going to church. It’s as if it doesn’t matter, and to many people, that is the reality. Even among disciples of Jesus things have changed! There are many who fail to understand just how important the resurrection is for their faith.

Friends, the truth of Christianity stands or falls on whether God actually raised Jesus from the dead! If it didn't really happen, Christian faith is worse than pointless (see 1 Corinthians 15:13f). Why honor a dead man who told people he was God and said he had the authority to forgive sin? Hardly the kind of person to base your life on, let alone embrace his teachings. One reason many Christians don't take the resurrection seriously is that skeptical society has convinced them it's probably only a legend, on par with the Easter bunny. You may laugh, but surveys and studies indicate this growing trend. Even many prominent leaders of mainline Christian denominations dismiss the resurrection story as a myth fabricated by Jesus' followers to overcome the shame of his execution and "fulfill" his prediction that he would rise from the dead.
So what must be done?

Believers in Christ need to recapture the sense of awe and wonder that energized Jesus' followers when they saw his empty tomb that first Easter morning. Those doubtful and fearful people were transformed into passionate witnesses who revolutionized the world! This new appreciation for the resurrection might begin by wrapping our minds around the truth that the resurrection is a proven fact, not a myth or legend. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proven fact because the resurrection of Jesus is a historical event. Yes, there are biblical proofs, but the resurrection is better documented than many events in the ancient world that historians take for granted!

Without the resurrection to prove that Jesus was God, just like he said, Christianity wouldn't be any truer than any other religion. Without the resurrection, no one could know for sure what God is like. Without the resurrection, no one could know which religious tradition can be trusted to tell us the truth about the nature of God, the meaning of life, and what is true and just. Without the resurrection, the world would know nothing about human rights, modern science, democratic freedoms or any of the other contributions Christianity has made to civilization.

The resurrection of Jesus was an actual event in history. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, we know God has all power over death and evil. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, we know Jesus taught the truth. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, we can personally experience the lifechanging power of God's love and forgiveness. The resurrection is a fact - proven beyond reasonable doubt - that leads us to the truth about what God is like and what is true and just.

On Easter Sunday morning when millions of children spring from their beds to celebrate the arrival of the Easter bunny, let's awaken as believers to the reality of the Resurrection. With joy-filled hearts, let us celebrate the miracle God worked at Jerusalem 2,000 years ago -- and the one He works in our hearts every morning.

Pastor Glenn

Contact Pastor Glenn: PastorGlenn@oakhillbible.org