Reflect on on the things that that matter most You know when you get married that usually happens when you have a child that happens When you hit those kind of you know big kind of birthdays you turn 40 turn 50 turn 60 you start thinking more and more about Those things that really matter in life and those those things that are most important But you know if there is one If there's one event that I think gets us thinking more than anything else along these lines, and I know it does for me, it's funerals. Funerals have a way of making us just really reflect on what matters most. And I think that that's certainly intended, at least in a Christian funeral. that it would cause us to to pause and and think about those things that matters most. Because, you know, what a funeral does, unlike those other, you know, very kind of joyous events and occasions, what it does is it is it does hit us square in the just right between the eyes with our own mortality. And it lets us know that you can't run and hide from it. You can't bargain your way out of it. You can't buy your way out of it. You can't work your way out of it. There's just no escape from the reality of our mortality. And knowing that and being confronted with that, it leads to the inevitable question, is there anything more? And that's a question that, there's probably no bigger question that can be asked. And it's a question that needs answering. I'm sure some of you, if not many of you, are familiar with the famous Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy. But he describes the time when he kind of encountered this reality and this crisis and was faced with this question. And listen to what he said. He said, my question, that which at the age of 50 brought me to the point of suicide, was the simplest of questions. Lying in the soul of every man, a question without an answer to which one cannot live, it was, what will come of what I am doing today or tomorrow? What will come of my whole life? Why should I live? Why wish for anything or do anything? can also be expressed thus, is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy? In other words, is there anything more? And if there is something more, does today and tomorrow, does it matter? What does it have to do with it? Well, this morning as we come together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the resounding answer to the question, is there more? The answer is yes. There is more and today and tomorrow have everything to do with it. And that's what I want us to think about this morning as we gather together on this Easter Sunday. I want us to see the first of all the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that his resurrection tells us there is more. And in telling us there is more, it tells us that today and tomorrow and the next day and on and on through time, that all these days, they matter. And so to do this, I want to read from a passage, a well-known resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15. But I just want to take a part of that chapter. I want to read verses 12 through 20. We're going to be looking kind of beyond verses 12 through 20, but this is really where I want to focus on. So let us give honor to the reading of God's word. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. It's the word of the Lord. Would you pray with me? Our Father, what a blessing it is to be together here on this day, thankful in our hearts for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, we thank you for this amazing event that has taken place in history, an event so profound that we can actually build our entire lives upon it. We thank you for this, and I pray this morning that you would please, by your Holy Spirit, minister to each one of us that we would be strengthened in our faith, that we would be blessed and built up, and that you, Father, would receive all of the honor and glory. I pray that you would please give me grace to proclaim your word, to do so in a manner that honors the Lord Jesus Christ, who is risen from the dead. I ask this in his name, amen. And so here, as I said, this is a portion from this well-known chapter that's often referred to as the resurrection chapter. And it is so because throughout this entire chapter, Paul's focus is squarely upon the resurrection. And so in verses 1 through 11, Paul begins by establishing the fact of Christ's resurrection, that there is eyewitness testimony to the fact of the resurrection. Then in verses 12 through 20, Paul speaks of the implications of the resurrection, that his resurrection isn't just some fact in history that isn't, that is just somehow not tied to our own, the way that we live our lives, but it has bearing on things. It means something to you and to me today and forever. Then in verses 21 through 34 he deals with the order of the resurrection that Christ is first and then after Christ all those who belong to him will follow. And then to close out the chapter in verses 35 through 58, Paul reveals the nature of the resurrection. That just as on earth there are different kinds of bodies, there is one type of flesh that people have, another type of flesh that birds have, another type of flesh that fish have, and so on, so too in heaven, in the resurrection, there are different bodies that we will have as we will be raised and we will be given glorified bodies. And so the focus for the Apostle Paul for this entire chapter is the resurrection. First, for the resurrection of Christ in particular, and then secondly, of the believer in general. But it's the resurrection of Christ that everything hinges upon. We see this clearly in verse 12 where Paul says now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead How do some among you say there is no resurrection? So everything is coming back to the resurrection of Christ everything lands squarely upon it and so in seeing that The place that we need to begin in order to answer our question, is there something more, is with Christ's resurrection. As this is the foundation for everything. It's that Jesus rose from the dead. Now for us, when we hear that, we're probably used to hearing it. Many of us are in church regularly, and so we're used to hearing about the resurrection that Jesus rose from the dead. But just kind of step away from that for a moment and just think about what just an enormous claim that is. to say that Jesus Christ, this man who had lived, that he died publicly, was buried publicly, that he rose from the dead. I mean, it's like, it's an outlandish statement. It's an absolutely outlandish statement because people don't just rise from the dead. But Paul makes that claim. And so what does he base that claim upon? What does he base that upon? Because whatever he bases it upon, it better be rock solid. Because a whole lot's gonna be built on top of it. I mean, all of the implications, all of the application that we find throughout this chapter and that applies to us throughout all of the Christian life, it all is built upon this. So whatever he is basing that assertion on, it better be rock solid. And so what is it that he builds it on? Well, simply put, he builds it on eyewitness testimony, that people saw him alive from the dead. And that's what Paul tells us in verses five through eight. He tells us that Jesus appeared to Peter, then to the 12, then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, Then he appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. And then last of all, Paul says, he appeared to me, to one who was untimely born. You see, Paul is speaking of Jesus' resurrection as a fact of history, and he's doing so on the basis of one thing, and that is eyewitness testimony. And so the question is, is that strong enough? Is eyewitness testimony enough? Well, to answer that, you have to understand a bit about how these stories, and specifically the stories of Jesus' miracles and Jesus' resurrection, came to be recorded. Now, most of the higher critics, that term kind of bothers me because we're elevating critics by that, you know, modifier higher critics. But they're higher in the sense that they are a part of the academia. You know, they're in that higher part of the academy. And these are those among that higher part of the academy that are critical of Scripture. Guys like Rachel and Hegel and Rudolf Bultman and the guys who have followed from them, comprised groups like the Jesus Seminars, stuff like that, people like that and so forth. Well, what they say is that they believe that the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus were passed along orally. And as they were passed along orally, they were embellished to shape the emerging beliefs of the believing community about the Messiah and who the Messiah should be, what the Messiah should be. So we've got to kind of spice up the Messiah. We've got to spice up this Jesus. So we start adding in, down the line, stories of miracles, and then this crowning story of a resurrection. And so to them, they say that Jesus' life, and particularly, again, the miracles and the resurrection weren't actual history, but they're more the constructions, the theological constructions that the church began to add on. And so it's kind of like that game whisper down the valley, you know, you put like, you know, 40 or 50 people, you know, in a line and one person whispers something in their ear and then they turn and whisper it in their ear and down the line, they whisper it in one another's ear and you get to the end and the person at the end, they say, okay, what did John down here say? And he says, here's what I was told. And John said, that's nothing like what I said. Well, that's what they say happened. That's what these higher critics say happened to the gospel record. They believe it was initially history. But as it was passed along to the next generation, they embellished it to reflect their own hopes and their own aspirations about Jesus. And that's why these critical scholars, they're always looking for these mystery documents that are the source for the gospel records. Because then we can get past all of the oral tradition and we can get to this source. They're source critics. They want to get to the source behind the gospel. And so they come up with these mystery documents like Q and you know, there's these mystery documents that are informing the gospels. And, and the reality is it, it sounds really intelligent. And if you step into that environment, say you're in college or in graduate school, and you step into that environment and hear these things, you can very easily be sort of swept along with it. But the problem is, it's chock full of problems. Not the least of which is that if these were embellishments, then why did people suffer horrific persecution and martyrdom throughout this supposed developmental period of the Gospels? Why were they willing to die for something that they were embellishing? I mean, people aren't going to die for a lie. It's like the French philosopher Pascal said. He said, I believe those witnesses who get their throats cut If you're willing to die for it, guess what? Then I believe you. But if you cut bait and run, I don't believe you. And that's certainly the case here. These guys, the apostles, and then those who followed the apostles in the period of the early church, so many of them were put to death. So many of them were martyred. So many of them suffered, were driven from their homes, were tortured and persecuted. If it was a lie, if they were just embellishments, they'd say, well, hey, it was good while it lasted, but this is where I hit the eject button. I recant. but that's not what happened. It's not what happened. So this fails at the most basic level, but apart from that, this also fails at, like the documentary, the historical level as well, as this fails to account for the fact that that's just not how the story surrounding the life of Jesus came to be recorded. See, they didn't evolve over time. It didn't evolve over time by the community of believers as they were embellishing them and just, you know, comprising them to reflect their own sort of beliefs and so forth. But the events surrounding the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus originated with eyewitness testimony. That's where they originated, with eyewitness testimony. And that eyewitness testimony became the basis for the gospels. And that's a hugely important fact because in the ancient world, there was no greater way to confirm events than by eyewitness testimony. And that's why in Jewish law, for example, all sorts of judgments could only be carried out on the basis of two or more witnesses. There needed to be witnesses to these things before a judgment could be carried out. You see, this was taken so seriously in the ancient world. The testimony of witnesses was taken so seriously as this is how history was preserved. This is how truth was established. This is how justice was upheld. It was by eyewitness testimony so that even in our own, the table of the 10 commandments, thou shall not do what? Bear false witness. And even under some conditions of bearing false witness, it could be your own death. That could be the consequence for bearing false witness because truth was so important for preserving justice and establishing history as fact. And this is something that all of the ancient historians, Thucydides and Tacitus and Josephus and Polybius, all these guys, they realized this. See, they believed, they believed that true history could only be written while the events being recorded were still within living memory and were reported as were reported by those eyewitnesses. So the only thing that could be counted as true history could only be written while the events being recorded, while those things were still within the living memory, memory of those who were alive, who witnessed those things, And thus someone could only write about the resurrection as historical fact if they were an eyewitness to the resurrection and others who were eyewitness to the resurrection were still alive. So that if I'm over here saying, hey man, this amazing thing happened. This guy, Jesus rose from the dead and they're like, yeah, why should I believe you? He says, well, go ask all them. There's all these other eyewitnesses also. They all saw the same thing. Go ask any of them. But if it's just, oh, I saw this Jesus rose from the dead, really? Who else saw it? Well, nobody. Just you? Well, yeah, just me. Sorry. That's not history then. There had to be eyewitnesses, living memory of these events. And that's why Paul lists this list as he does in chapter 15, naming names and then stating the fact, many of whom are still alive. See, Paul knew the way history was done. He knew this is it. You don't just have to believe me. Look at all of these others, many of whom had their throats cut and were willing to have their throats cut for it. So just go ask them. Go ask any of these apostles who did have their throats cut. Go ask any of these other witnesses, many of whom were driven from their home and did end up suffering terribly. Go ask them. Don't take my word. Go ask them. And so eyewitness testimony is vital. It's absolutely vital. That's how history is established. And so this wasn't some whisper down the valley folklore, the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. It's just not, to even make those claims, it's just not genuine. It's not the way history was done. These events were verified by hundreds of eyewitnesses. Hundreds of eyewitnesses, and think about that. Think about that. Think if a prosecutor has one eyewitness, just one, to an event or to a crime. If he just has one, he's like, you know, he's gonna sequester, hide that person, protect that person, gotta protect my eyewitness. Now imagine if he's got a handful of eyewitnesses. He's celebrating the victory. He knows it is foolproof. If you have a handful of eyewitnesses, now imagine he has hundreds, hundreds of eyewitnesses. I mean, it's just, it's absolutely foolproof at that point. It's foolproof. And that's what Paul has for the resurrection. He's got over 500 eyewitnesses. eyewitnesses who are willing to have their throats cut. And that's unbeatable. Now there's a really great book called Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. It's written by a British scholar by the name of Richard Bauckham. He's Professor Emeritus of New Testament at St. Andrews. He's also a professor at Ridley College, Cambridge. He's on the British Royal Society. He's just one of these scholar of scholar types. And this book is an incredible It's just, you don't got to read it from cover to cover. It's like 500 pages and they're hard pages. But it's a good book to have on the shelf to kind of as a reference and so forth. But I'll tell you, it's like, he goes through and he just like picks his way through and just demonstrates how this is how history is done. History is done. It's built on eyewitness testimony. That's the gold standard. It's the gold standard. But in any case, there were a lot of quotes I could have just was wanting to share, but there was one that just kind of succinctly, I like what he says here. He says, gospels understood as testimony. So when you're reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, when you're reading it, to read them as testimony, understanding these are testimonies. Eyewitness testimonies. It says gospels understood as testimony are the entirely appropriate means of access to the historical reality of Jesus. So if you really want to know who Jesus is, if you really want to get to the bottom of Jesus, you got to go to the witnesses and specifically the eyewitnesses. You got to go to them. And that's what the gospels are. The gospels are the way to get the witness record of Jesus. That's where you're going to find the truth about him. It's right there. It's in these testimonies. And that's what Paul points to here in pointing to his resurrection. He points to the testimony, eyewitness testimony of hundreds of witnesses who are willing to give everything for that testimony rather than turn away from it. That's amazing. And what's amazing is that It's not just Jesus' resurrection that there was so much eyewitness testimony to, but there was all kinds of eyewitness testimony to the fact that he was dead. All kinds of eyewitness testimony to the fact that he was buried. And now you have eyewitness testimony to the fact that he's been raised, that the tomb is empty. Imagine that, and the fact that the tomb was empty wasn't something that just, along the way, the eyewitness testimony to these things wasn't just by those who were the followers of Jesus. I mean, it wasn't just Jesus, the women that were there at the cross and the disciples and so forth, but at the empty tomb, you've got the guards, you've got the religious leaders that had concocted this whole scheme and then afterwards drummed up some coverup to try and account for it themselves. I mean, you have enemies serving as eyewitnesses. And so the eyewitness testimony is overwhelming from every side and at every point throughout the crucifixion, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus. And so is it strong enough? Is eyewitness testimony strong enough to build a case for the resurrection upon which our lives would be built upon? And the answer is yes, it absolutely is. And so that means something according to verse 12 through 20. The fact that this really did take place, that this really was an event in history, that Jesus really did rise from the dead, that means something. According to verse 13, it means our preaching isn't in vain. So I'm not wasting my time up here. I'm actually doing something that matters. Isn't that nice, you know? It means our faith isn't in vain. So guys, the things you believe, they're not worthless. According to verse 15, it means that we're not bearing false testimony about Jesus. So when you're telling people about Christ, you're not spreading lies. And according to verse 17, it means that we're not still in our sins. So that this wonderful pronouncement of forgiveness, it's real. It's real, you really are forgiven. And according to verse 19, it means that we're not of all people most to be pitied. Because if this wasn't true, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, we would be those who would be most pitied among men. You see, the resurrection of Jesus means all of that. But beyond all of that, and really the main point to all of that, is that Jesus' resurrection means that there is a bigger resurrection, another resurrection, a broader resurrection that is yet to come. And in that regard, it means that yes, there is something more. And this is Paul's point in verse 12. Now, if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection from the dead? See, apparently there were some people in the church there who didn't believe in a resurrection, but they believed that this was it. That it's like when the body stops, that's it, that's the end. And you know, the universe keeps spinning the way it's spinning and that's it. But Paul's saying, if Jesus rose from the dead as these eyewitnesses testify that he did, then that means there is a resurrection. And that's the conclusion of verse 20. He says, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. You know what firstfruits are? It's an agricultural term. Not many farmers in here. Got our big crops in our backyards, you know? But firstfruits, it was when the harvest would first begin to come in, there's always these initial crops that produce first. And when those crops produced, the farmer would gather them up and bring them in and they would celebrate because it was announcement saying that we'll have a harvest this year. There is more to come. There's more to come. And by saying Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection, what Jesus resurrection was announcing is there's more to come. There's a great harvest, a harvest of believers that are following behind me. There is more to come. There is a resurrection to come. And who is it that will be raised? Well, everybody will be raised. Everybody. But not everybody will be raised to share in the same glory that the Lord Jesus was raised to. But only those who belong to him. Only those who are His will share in that same glory. And this is what Paul tells us in verses 22 and 23. He says, for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, then it is coming those who belong to Christ. meaning Christ was raised bodily and at his coming, when Christ returns, that's when we will be raised bodily and be brought up and glorified with him. So that right now, just so we're clear, it doesn't mean that if you die, you just kind of wait for Jesus to return. If you die, you immediately depart from the body, the soul does, and is immediately in the presence of God. Absolutely, just as Jesus told the thief on the cross, today you will be with me in paradise. To be absent from the body is to be present from the Lord, we know that. but the body stays in the ground decomposed or at the bottom of the sea decomposed and so on. But when Christ returns, those bodies are, they are reconstituted and raised up and brought up and glorified. And that's what awaits all believers. But for the rest, Jesus is also equally clear throughout the gospels that their future will be one of judgment and of torment. As Revelation tells us that those who are faithless, meaning those who don't have faith in Christ, that what awaits them will be the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. And so there is something more. There is something more. And that means how we live today and how we live tomorrow matters. matters. See, if there is no resurrection, as Paul says in verse 32, what did I gain by fighting with wild beasts in Ephesus? Wild beast, it doesn't mean he was wrestling lions and tigers and bears and coyotes and stuff. Wild beast means false teachers. These persecutors, these people who are attacking us as they did in Ephesus. Why am I wasting my time just fighting with all these people? Having them just attack me and devour me, wanting to kill me. Why am I doing this if the dead are not raised? For if the dead are not raised, then let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. I mean, why struggle? Why struggle? I mean, who cares how you live life if there's nothing beyond this life? And that's his point. It's that the way that you live is determined by what you think about death. So that if there's nothing beyond this life, then all kinds of chaos will naturally ensue. Just will. And there's all kinds of examples that we can find throughout history to validate this. I mean, just think about just these atheistic communist regimes. There is no communism apart from atheism. So if you're communist, I mean, it's atheism and communism. But just consider, you know, between 1917 and 2007, kind of the middle of the road estimates are that these communist regimes killed 148 million people. 148 million people. Now that is more than three times more than were killed by all of the wars and civil wars and violent crimes that have taken place on earth throughout that entire 20th century. More than three times more. And the atheism inherent in that communistic system is the driver behind it because it says nothing matters. Now, does that mean that every communist approves of those crimes? Absolutely not. That's not the point. The point is that godless philosophies such as this contain a framework of belief that allows for such atrocities to take place. It has a framework that allows for such evil, such horror, such atrocities take place because it says there is no God. And it says there is nothing beyond this material life. And so there are no consequences, there are no accountability, there is nothing, it's just now. And so it builds a framework that allows these atrocities to just grow. Just listen to the words of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He was a political prisoner, well-known political prisoner, former Soviet Union in the 20th century, writer, thinker, and so forth. But this is what he had to say. He says, over half a century ago, while I was still a child, again, growing up in the Soviet Union, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia. Men have forgotten God. That's why all this has happened. Since then, that's what he heard when he was a child. Since then, I've spent well nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution. In the process, I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and I've already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat, men have forgotten God. That's why all this happened. It's just simply forgetting God. See, there is an undeniable relationship between what someone believes and how that person lives. If there is no God and Jesus was never raised and there is no resurrection, then why struggle? Just eat and drink and run wild because tomorrow you will die. But because we are raised, Paul says in verse 34, Wake up from your drunken stupor. Wake up and do not go on sinning. It's like, okay, if Jesus wasn't raised, then just live however you want to live. There's no reason not to. If Jesus has been raised and he has, then go on and go on not sinning. Just now it's like, this is, the implications for how you live your life are coming right back to the resurrection, whether or not Jesus was raised. And he was raised, as Paul said, because there's all these eyewitness testimonies, all these witnesses who were willing to get their throats cut, who are testifying of it. So because of that, Live like today matters, because today does matter. And his entire point here is that the resurrection should compel us to think that way. It should compel us to live in a certain way, a way that honors and glorifies and pleases God, since after all, he is the one with whom we have to do. And that's how we need to think. You know, we need to think with, Always with just one eye on what's next. Always. And by what's next, I mean what's to come after this life. And it takes effort to do that. You know, we live in a physical material world. We will live in a physical material world also in the glorified state in the new heavens and new earth. It's beautiful with glorified bodies and physical places. It's not an ethereal sort of vaporous like existence, but it's physical. It's real. It's bodily. It's tangible. It's beautiful. But the world we live in now, it's hard for us to just have that heavenly mindset. That's why being in church is so important on Sundays and why it's so important to always have an eschatological element to preaching, meaning an element of preaching that is always calling us to just look upward. It's so important because all the rest of the week we're not looking upward. We're looking just everywhere else. We're looking at our, you know, our accounting books and we're looking at our job notes. We're looking at all the things that we have to do. And so it's so important for us to have that mindset where it's just one eye is kept on what's next. Because that will affect the way we live this life. And that's where Paul's going with all of this. He's giving us an apologetic, if you will, for the resurrection. He's saying the resurrection happened, but he wants that to have implications for this life, and that's where he takes it. And so the very last verse of chapter 15, he says, So in light of all that I've just said about the resurrection, about Jesus' resurrection, about your resurrection, about the order of the resurrection, about the nature of the erection, all of this, therefore, in light of all of this teaching and talking about the resurrection, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work is not in vain. So because of the resurrection, keep going. Keep going and keep doing the things the Lord calls you to do. See, it shapes everything because it says everything matters. The resurrection says everything matters. Every word, every act, every deed, it matters because every one of them follows us to eternity. Now, I want to be clear in saying that, that this does not mean that if we do all the right things, that if we live the right way, then that's what earns us our way to heaven. Because that's not what this means. That's not the implications here. Because we know the only thing that gets us to heaven is faith in Jesus Christ, union with him, whereby we are joined in through faith, clothed in the robes of his righteousness, so that we are brought into his presence spotless and perfect, that's it. What doesn't get us there is all of our efforts. That doesn't secure us any place in God's kingdom. but it's only through faith in Christ. And so this is not saying we earn our way, but what this is saying is that the resurrection tells us there is something more. It tells us that. And that means that for us as Christians, we don't try and earn our way to it, but it means as those who possess it, let that heaven reality begin to be reflected in your lives. It's just getting away from that sort of meritorious mentality where it's like, oh, I'm earning this with God. No, he's not saying that. He's saying for you as Christians, a resurrection community, know that what you believe, it's true, it's valid, it's historical, it's factual, and let that permeate you and let that begin to change you and mold you and shape you so that you energetically go forth living the Christian life. It's not saying so that if you then go ahead and live that way, now you'll get to heaven. It's not saying that. It doesn't need to say it. It's just saying as those who are believers, this is the impact the resurrection should have on you. Because we all want to live a life that honors the Lord. But where do we get that energy? Where do we get that steadfastness? Where do we get that just, grind it out mentality. Where is it? Where do we get it? Right here. Resurrection. That's what he's saying. That's where it comes from. It comes from the resurrection. And thus this whole passage is telling us that based upon the resurrection of Jesus, there is more. And because there is more, today and tomorrow and the next day and the next and the next and on and on, that they all matter. They all matter. And that's what we need to take from this passage this morning. In closing, I'd like to share with you the words of N.T. Wright, taken from a sermon of his on the resurrection, and this is what he had to say. He said, the message of the resurrection is that this world matters. that the injustices and pains of this present world must now be addressed with the news that healing, justice, and love have won. If Easter means Jesus Christ is only raised in a spiritual sense, then it is only about me and finding a new dimension in my personal spiritual life. But if Jesus is truly risen from the dead, Christianity becomes good news for the whole world. News which warms our hearts precisely because it isn't just about warming hearts. Easter means that in a world where injustice, violence, and degradation are endemic, God is not prepared to tolerate such things. That we will work and plan with all the energy of God to implement the victory of Jesus over them all. Takeaway Easter and Karl Marx was probably right to accuse Christianity of ignoring problems of the material world. Take it away and Freud was probably right to say Christianity is wish fulfillment. Take it away and Nietzsche probably was right to say it was for wimps. See the bodily resurrection, the historical fact of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is attested to by hundreds of eyewitnesses who are willing to get their throats cut. It tells us that there is more and that because there is more today matters. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the wonderful love you have for us and for all of the gifts that you have given to us in Jesus Christ, blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We thank you that our Savior has risen from the dead. He has conquered hell and death and the devil. Father, he is even now, having ascended to your right hand, interceding for us, your beloved people. We thank you for this. I pray that the truth and the power of the resurrection would continue to just empower us to live resurrected lives. As Father, we are always mindful of that wonderful reality that awaits us, even as we continue to live life purposefully here and now. I ask that you would give us the power to do this. In Christ's name, amen.