For all of us, here’s the bad news: You can’t avoid death. Everyone eventually dies, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. But Easter changes everything. Easter is the remedy for death. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

EASTER 2024
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26
TITLE: The Ultimate Hope of Easter
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Because death is our greatest enemy, Easter is our greatest hope.

POINTS:
1. The Resurrection of Jesus Guarantees Our Resurrection
2. The Resurrection of Jesus Guarantees the Renewal of All Things

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”I read a study titled—What We Fear More Than Death. Does anyone think they know the answer? 75% of people polled answered public speaking. That means most of you would rather die than get up here and speak. If that’s you, here’s the good news: You can avoid public speaking. For all of us, here’s the bad news: You can’t avoid death. Everyone eventually dies, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. But Easter changes everything. Easter is the remedy for death.”

“Easter is our greatest hope because the resurrection of Jesus guarantees our resurrection and the renewal of all things.”

“Paul is correcting bad theology in 1 Corinthians. But in that, he is giving the Corinthians hope. There is safety and hope in sound doctrine.”

“In Corinth, there were some in the church rejecting a bodily resurrection. There is no hope in that perspective. If there is no resurrection, then not even Jesus is resurrected. And if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, if the tomb is not empty on Sunday, then all that happened on Good Friday doesn’t matter. We are still in our sins. The Christian faith is meaningless, even blasphemous. This life is all we have, so we are to be pitied above all. Why? Because if the tomb is not empty, the gospel unravels.”

“What are first fruits? The first fruits were the first crops the farmer gathered from their harvest. They would take the first fruits of their crops and give them to the Lord as an offering of gratitude for His provision. The first fruits also gave the farmer hope because they acted as a promise for a good harvest. The first fruits were a sign of good things to come. In the analogy, Paul says Jesus’ resurrection was the first fruit, the first spiritual harvest that will lead to many resurrections. Christ’s empty tomb guarantees a bountiful crop of resurrections to follow.”

“Paul says you have believed the gospel, which is of first importance. You believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross, and after three days in the grave, he was raised from the dead and was seen alive by over 500 people, including ME. Now, if Jesus is the first fruit, the necessary implication of your faith is that his resurrection, which you believe in, guarantees your resurrection. Be hopeful!”

“Because Adam was the first man, he was the representative of mankind. The way he goes, we all go. Adam’s sin affected and infected us all. Because Adam sinned, we are sinners. We are sinners because we inherited Adam’s sinful nature. This is called Original Sin. You can read more about it in Romans 5. In Adam, we have all sinned, making physical and spiritual death the inescapable reality for us all.”

“We know sin—Anger, lust, greed, gossip, dishonesty, bitterness. We know pride, selfishness, judgementalism, coarse talk, sexual sin. We have been freshly reminded by the Book of Judges just how well we know idolatry, which is simply finding our purpose and joy in anything other than God. Why? We were born on Team Adam. But our text tells us there is another team.”

“This text tells us there is another representative whose actions affect us. In Adam, all die, but those IN CHRIST live! Isn’t God merciful and gracious? We deserve death—He gives us life.”

“The Hope of Easter is not that if you clean up your life, God will accept you. The Hope of Easter is not a personal commitment to diversity, equity, or inclusion. The Hope of Easter is not a disciplined approach to tradition or ceremony. The Hope of Easter is not found in politicians. The Hope of Easter is that all who believe in Jesus will live forever in his glorious presence. To be IN CHRIST is to have CHRIST IN YOU, and CHRIST IN YOU is the hope of glory! Such is the profound nature of the gospel and the guarantee of the resurrection.”

“In the resurrection of Jesus, God has the final word over sin and death. Jesus paid the price for our sins at the cross, crying—It is finished. Through the empty tomb, God makes the cosmic proclamation—It is sufficient! And on that glorious day when the trumpet will sound, and Jesus returns in all his glory, we will finally, fully, and forever realize our Easter Hope.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Colossians 1:27

QUOTES:
David Garland - “Graveyards remind us of the brevity of life. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us of the brevity of death.”

APPLICATION:
If you have never placed your faith in Jesus, you are still on Team Adam. Eternal death and judgment await you. But today, you can believe in Jesus and live. You may say—Pastor, I am living. I’m good. You’re not living. The Bible says because of your sin, you are a dead person walking. You may be alive physically, but you are dead spiritually, and that’s what matters eternally. But Jesus is not dead—He has risen! That means if you believe in him today, you lean all your trust on him for salvation, you will be raised to life and truly live, not only today but forever. Will you come to Jesus this morning?

For the believer, Paul tells us exactly how we should respond to our Easter Hope—read 58. Our Easter hope is that one day, we will rise from the dead and reign with Jesus. But that resurrection promise, in a sense, is ours now. It’s in part, but we live the resurrection life today. 

In this topsy-turvy world, what is testing your faith today? The resurrection spurs you on to gospel steadfastness, knowing the best is yet to come. Are you becoming fearful of trying to live the Christian life in your country? You can stand immovable in the face of increasing hostility because what can man do to us—IN CHRIST, death is the door to life!

Are you growing weary of doing gospel good in an unresponsive community? You can throw ourselves into our gospel mission because Jesus is not dead; he is alive and advancing His kingdom purposes through us from the throne of God. As Christians, we aren’t living our best lives now, but we live now knowing that our best lives are yet to come.