Hope in the Risen One

The sermon opens by affirming that the foundation of Christianity rests on two historical events: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pastor quotes 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, and 19 to emphasize that if Christ has not been raised, then preaching and faith are both useless, and believers are the most pitiable of all people. Two central questions are posed: did the resurrection actually happen, and what does it mean for the life of the believer?

To answer the first question, the pastor presents three historical evidences. First, the testimony of the women is credible precisely because in the Jewish and Roman society of that time, a woman's testimony was not accepted in a court of law. Scholar Richard Bauckham explains that Mark repeats the names of the women four times in eight verses because they were living eyewitnesses still present when the Gospel was written. Even the anti-Christian philosopher Celsus in the second century inadvertently confirmed this by mocking the resurrection account as resting solely on the testimony of women. Second, all 27 books of the New Testament were written within 15 to 60 years of Christ's death and resurrection, while many eyewitnesses were still alive. Peter preached about the resurrection only about two months after the event, and Paul confirmed in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ appeared to more than 500 people, most of whom were still living when Paul wrote. Third, the dramatic transformation of the apostles is undeniable evidence: men who had been cowardly, denied Christ, and fled in fear became extraordinarily courageous, willing to die for the gospel.

The pastor clarifies that when Scripture says Christ rose from the dead, it does not mean merely that His ideas or teachings live on, as one might say of a great author or philosopher. He truly rose in bodily form and now sits at the right hand of God in a position of full authority. Because of this, death is no longer the ultimate enemy for the believer, for on the other side of death is eternal life, as Revelation 21:4 promises that God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. The resurrection of Christ is also proof that God can completely renew circumstances that once seemed hopeless.

The closing section calls the congregation to come to the Risen Christ to receive faith, since faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit and not a human achievement. The pastor recalls the fear and unbelief of Mary Magdalene, the women, and the apostles when they first heard the news of the resurrection, showing that no one can believe on their own without God's grace. He uses the account of Thomas in John 20:25–29 to illustrate that one cannot place conditions on Christ, but must come to Him, confess doubt and sin, and ask Him to grant faith through the Holy Spirit. Quoting C.S. Lewis, the pastor reminds the congregation that faith is not like staring at the windshield but like looking through it — by faith one sees everything else clearly.