Sermon by Dr. Jeffrey Jeremiah
April 16, 2006

"What Difference Does Easter Make?"
Luke 24:1-12

Today, almost two billion people around the world are gathering to praise and thank God for the fact that His only Son Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross on Good Friday; He was taken down from that cross and laid in a borrowed tomb; and three days later, on Easter Sunday, He rose from the dead. This is the day we celebrate the fact that He is risen. Yet having said that, does it make any difference? I mean, "He arose! So what?" Maybe that’s the way you’re thinking today. It’s good to go to church today to celebrate an important Christian holiday, but beyond that, what does it matter? How does an event that took place 2,000 years ago have any impact on my life? Easter is an important event in human history, and, the resurrection of Jesus can also make a difference, a life-changing difference in your life. Why do I say that? Let me ask you to consider two points.

First, the resurrection makes a difference because of what it says about Jesus. Two truths are important here. One, the resurrection confirms Jesus is Who He claimed to be. In our culture this spring there’s a lot of talk in magazines and movies about Jesus Christ. It’s being said that He married Mary Magdalene and had a daughter. It’s said He was an influential man, a great teacher, but He wasn’t God. It’s being said His closest confidante and friend was the one who betrayed Him, Judas. My response to all this talk is to ask, what did Jesus say about Himself? Who is Jesus "in His own words?" Jesus claimed to be God in John chapter 8. He said He could forgive sins in Matthew chapter 9. He said He would die and be raised from the dead in Matthew chapter 20. In Matthew 25, He promised that He would come at the end of human history to judge all of mankind. When His opponents asked Him, "Are you the Son of God?" He replied, "Yes, you are right in saying that I am" (Luke 22:70). Romans 1:4 tells how the resurrection confirms Who Jesus claimed to be. Jesus was "declared with power to be the Son of God" How? "By His resurrection from the dead." Because He was raised from the dead you know that Jesus is the Son of God, and that all He said about Himself is true, because God is true. No falsehood, no error can be found in God, Who is perfect. What that means is that Jesus is reliable, what He says is true; He can be trusted!

Next, the resurrection confirms that Jesus accomplished what He came to do. Jesus came into the world for a reason. First Timothy 1:15 puts it this way: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Who are sinners? We’re all sinners, all of us are under sin’s power and punishment! In order to save us from our sin He had to pay the penalty for it. That penalty was death. It was a penalty that only He could pay, because only a person who was perfect, perfect man, perfect God could pay the penalty so that you and I could be saved. Here’s the connection between what Jesus did on Good Friday and what happens on Easter Sunday. On the cross, He died for your sins and mine. He paid the penalty. Death was victorious on Good Friday, but on Easter Sunday it is no longer the victor because Jesus is alive! He is the victor, not death. His victory is a saving victory. As Romans 4:25 says, "Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification," that is, our salvation. By raising Jesus from the dead, God the Father declared that the saving work of His Son on the cross is a work that is complete and a work that is approved by Him. The resurrection makes a difference because it confirms that Jesus is Who He claims to be, and it confirms that the work He came to do is finished and has been blessed by His heavenly Father.

Second, the resurrection makes a difference because of what it says to you. What Jesus accomplished can transform your life for the better in at least three areas. First, because of the resurrection, you know you can be forgiven. All of us in this room today need forgiveness. The reality is that none of us is perfect, and we know it. We’ve all said and done things we wish we hadn’t said or done. I’m talking about mistakes, failures, and shortcomings. The Bible gathers them all up in one word: sin. Behavioral scientists tell us we’re five times more likely to remember a negative experience than a positive one. This means we not only make mistakes, but we do a great job dwelling on them, beating ourselves up remembering them. We’ve seen that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. His promise for us is found in Romans 8:1: "There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ." Because of what He did on Good Friday, Jesus’ promise to you is that He "has forgiven all your sins, and blotted out the charges proved against you…He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-14). The burden and guilt of past mistakes, failures, sins can be forgiven if you confess them and give them over to Christ, Who blots them out, destroys them by nailing them to the cross.

Second, because of the resurrection, you can have the presence and purpose of Jesus in your life right now. You may be feeling very lonely today. Jesus’ promise is that "Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). His presence in your life isn’t that of a passive observer, just "watching the action." It’s a presence with care, concern, and love; it’s a presence with power, power that can make a difference in your life. Every one of us in this room today is confronting problems and challenges. It’s a part of life. You may be struggling with a problem at work or with your finances, you may have a conflict in a key relationship, you may be uncertain about a decision you have to make about your future, you may be afraid about a medical situation you confront. Please know this if you’re struggling or hurting today: no situation is hopeless in Jesus Christ. If you put your life in Jesus’ hands and rely on Him, I can assure you that while your problems may not go away, nothing will overwhelm or destroy you. The Apostle Paul knew all about suffering and difficulty. He wrote while He was in jail in Rome, "I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me" (Philippians 3:14). That, my friends, is strength to live on, power to live in. It’s power that works for a purpose. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." God made you for a purpose. In fact, until you know what God’s purpose is for your life, you’re like one of those people who have much to live on, but little to live for. In Jesus Christ, you can find that purpose. When you’re living in God’s purpose, your life has meaning, significance, and power. Third, the promise of the resurrection is that you can hope for your future in eternity. One of the problems we all face is death. Every one of us is going to die. Listen to what Jesus says in Revelation 1:17-18: "I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and Hades." Please understand the importance of that last statement: "I hold the keys to death and Hades." Keys are a symbol of authority and control. Jesus is saying here, "I hold the keys, I have control over what happens beyond the grave. Don’t be afraid, my friend, of what is coming after death. You have no doubt as to your future in me." He spoke of that future in John 6:40: "Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day." Jesus’ return from the dead is His promise to us that there is life after death, and in Him that life is eternal, wonderful, and glorious, a place where there is no pain, no tears, no sorrow, no anguish. That’s the promise of eternal life. Just as Jesus was bodily raised from the dead, so too will you will be raised to life.

The resurrection of Jesus this day is history making, and it can be life changing. The only way to secure Christ’s forgiveness, His presence, purpose and power, His hope for the future is to put your trust in Him as your Savior and Lord. I know there are people who say, "There’s more than one way to get to God." But again, what did Jesus say, the one you know you can trust? He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). He also said, "This is the way to have eternal life . . . by knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, the One He sent to earth." What Jesus is saying here is that you can know God, know Him in a personal way. You can have a relationship with Him. But you must not only accept that relationship, you must act on it. Let me encourage you to consider and act on this great fact: Jesus Christ is not dead, He is alive, He is risen! That fact can make a powerful difference, a life-changing difference as you accept it, as you receive it into your life and as you live for Jesus Christ, Savior, Lord, and God!