“He Is Risen!” :: Resurrection Sunday Service, 2026:

John 11:14–26; Luke 24:1–12; 1 Corinthians 15:1–11

Three passages of Scripture were shared this Easter morning. I recommend that everyone take time to read each passage. Very likely, you can identify the thread woven throughout them. We find a powerful understanding of the hope we share in the resurrection of Christ!
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 Take time right now to continue the reading of the third passage: 1 Corinthians 15:12–24…

The Resurrection of the Dead
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 cannot 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.

So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back.

After that the end will come, when He will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.

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The theme today is the Resurrection—

Why does the resurrection of Christ matter?

This is our question today. As we look to the Scriptures, we will gain an understanding that increases our celebration!

We will learn today what it means: To Be Set Free!


A story is told:

I love the story about the men who stood warning people of impending danger ahead.

One sign read: “DANGER ahead!” Many who passed by yelled, “You people are crazy!”

Another sign read: “The end is near!” Many yelled back, “You are so negative!”—again ignoring the message.

Still another sign read: “Turn back before it is too late!” Yet again, they thought the men were religious fanatics.

While many ignored the message to their peril, the pastors gathered together, realizing they could have communicated the message better.

One simply said, “We should have just posted a sign reading, ‘The bridge is out!’”

We will come to learn that, like Lazarus, we are bound by the bonds of sin and death. We need to be set free by the authority and power of Christ! Many ignore the obvious signs.


Let’s talk about three people who are raised from the dead:

A. The first person is Lazarus:

“So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank You for hearing Me.’” (John 11)

B. The second person is Jesus:

“They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.” (Luke 24)

C. Who is the third person being referenced?

Key passage: 1 Corinthians 15:22–23
“Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back.”

The third person is YOU! — “Those who belong to Christ will be raised…”
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A. Let’s think of the funeral preparation of Lazarus:

I have conducted many funerals. Funerals often feel negative. Why? Because many do not know the hope of eternal life and the resurrection.

*Funerals remind us that death is inevitable.
Funerals are also an opportunity to speak of the resurrection.

*Funerals are for the living.
I don’t know if you have considered this, but funeral events are declining while death is increasing—our population is growing.

Might I encourage you: your funeral could be a witnessing opportunity for family and friends.

No one should desire death, but we should be prepared. We cannot control when we will die (should the Lord tarry).
There is nothing wrong with planning your funeral—it makes things easier on your family.

“The cross is not a defeat, but a victory.” — N. T. Wright

Lazarus was a big deal. He was the first “message sign.” The traditions of a Jewish burial are substantial—sacred and detailed. They even paid mourners to publicly grieve.
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B. Let’s think of the tragic death and burial of Jesus:

When Jesus died, it was not only the fulfillment of prophecy—it was also unexpected for members of His earthly family.
His death took everyone by surprise. They were not looking for His death—they were expecting victory and the beginning of a revolution against Rome, which kept the people in bondage, along with a broken religious system that made knowing God more complicated.

Jesus’ burial rites were rushed because of the Jewish Sabbath. They only had time to wrap Him in cloths and place Him in a borrowed tomb.

Prophecy was fulfilled many times. One example from the prophet Isaiah:

“He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.
Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered Him punished by God,
stricken by Him, and afflicted.”
— Isaiah 53:3–4

The theology of the resurrection was debated among Jewish religious leaders—many did not believe in it.

“Jesus Christ did not come into this world to make bad people good; He came into this world to make dead people live.” — Lee Strobel

This Jesus of Nazareth is the second on our list—but the most precious gift.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), claiming to be the source of both. There is no resurrection apart from Christ—no eternal life. Jesus does more than give life; He is life. That is why death has no power over Him.

Jesus gives His life to those who trust in Him so that we can share in His triumph over death (1 John 5:11–12). Those who believe in Jesus Christ will personally experience resurrection. It is impossible for death to win (1 Corinthians 15:53–57). (Reference: Got Questions website on the resurrection.)

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In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul begins by reminding his brothers of “the gospel I preached to you… by which you are being saved” (15:2). This gospel revolves around the death of Christ, who “died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (15:3). But Paul does not stop there—Christ was also “raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (15:4), and appeared to His disciples.

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Perhaps the most sobering statement Paul makes is this:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

If your loved ones believe in Christ, then even though they have “fallen asleep,” they have fallen asleep “in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:18).

I love how Paul ends this chapter:
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Because Christ is risen, we who are in Him have every assurance that our labor in sharing the gospel is not pointless—it matters for eternity. Without the resurrection, we have no gospel, no salvation, no message, and no hope.
All quotes referenced from The Gospel Coalition:

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Now we move to the most personal part—where the rubber meets the road.

C. Let’s think for a moment about our own lives:

(We are not rushing toward death—we are looking toward life because of Jesus’ resurrection!)

Why do we celebrate Resurrection Sunday? Because it means LIFE for you and me!

What does it mean for us? We understand why Jesus came, suffered, died—and now we celebrate His resurrection!
He rose from the dead so that we, too, can have faith and experience the joy of spiritual life.

“Jesus’ resurrection is the ground and basis of all true love, hope, and joy; for if Jesus is still in the grave, then all of humanity remains in the grave too. But He is not in the grave—and this makes all the difference.” — G. K. Chesterton

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This world is not our final resting place.

I love that our church sits at a “dead end” street. Why? Because it points to eternal life. Our church represents life eternal! When people come to the end of themselves, it is here that we find our mission.

What should our church sign read?

What does Peter say?

“It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”
— 1 Peter 1:3–4