Apr. 05, 2026

What if the resurrection of Jesus Christ isn't just an Easter tradition — but the hinge point of all human history? 

Pastor Dave's sermon begins at 23:00 min into the video. The music “He's Alive", "Christ Arose!", "How Great Is Our God", “How Great Thou Art”, “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”, and “In Christ Alone” are licensed under CCLI Copyright #2723035 and Streaming Media #22024223 licenses.

Drawing from 1 Corinthians 15, Pastor Dave brought a clear and grounded Easter message: the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a metaphor or a seasonal feeling — it is the cornerstone of everything we believe. Without it, there is no hope, no salvation, and no faith worth holding onto. With it, we have everything.

1. Only Two Choices - Pastor Dave didn't leave much wiggle room, and he meant it that way. He pointed out that every Easter season, someone on the news ties themselves in knots trying to explain away the resurrection. But he was direct: there are only two options. Either Jesus is who He said He was — God in the flesh, risen from the dead — or He is a liar and a fraud. As he put it plainly, "He can't be a good man. He can't be a good teacher. And whatever good things He did could not really be good if they were falsely done." There is no comfortable middle ground.

2. The Evidence Holds Up - He then walked through why the resurrection stands up to scrutiny. The Romans had the power and the motive to disprove it. The religious leaders had every reason to crush it. All they had to do was produce the body. They couldn't — because it wasn't there. He had us smiling when he noted how much faith it actually takes to believe the disciples — the same ones hiding behind locked doors — somehow overpowered Roman guards and rolled away a massive stone in the night. Pastor Dave quoted 1 Cor. 15:3–6 directly:

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas and then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once."

He noted that when Paul wrote this, most of those 500 witnesses were still alive. Go ask them yourself, Paul was essentially saying.

3. What the Resurrection Does for Us - The resurrection isn't just historical fact — it changes everything about how we live and die. Referencing Rom. 4, Pastor Dave explained that Jesus "was raised for our justification." He used a simple and memorable image: "The resurrection is verification that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross has fully paid the debt for my sin and fully paid the debt for your sin. If you will, it's God's big stamp saying 'Paid in Full.'" It gives us hope now — assurance that our sins are forgiven. It gives us hope in dying — that this life is not the end. And it empowers how we live, because the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in every believer.

4. Wonderful Information — Terri's Bible - One of the most moving moments came when Pastor Dave shared about a woman named Terri, age 81 or 82, whose funeral he had recently officiated. He held her Bible for a few days before the service — taped up, covered, marked through, practically worn to pieces. In the back, she had written a note pointing to page 2189: "Wonderful information." He turned there and found the gospel laid out simply: you are God's creation (Ps. 139), He desires a relationship with you, sin separates us from Him, but God sent His Son (Jn. 3:16), Jesus is the only way (Jn. 14:6), and to those who receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God (Jn. 1:12). He said warmly, "I'm so thankful for Terri. I'm so thankful for holding her Bible in my hand."

 Conclusion - Pastor Dave closed with an open invitation to pray a simple prayer of faith printed in the bulletin — no pressure, just an honest moment to place trust in Christ or reaffirm what we already believe. He reminded us: He is risen. He is risen indeed. And because He is, we can live and die with real hope.