In life, every day is important, but some days are more important than others. As you look back over your life, I think you'll agree. Some days matter more than others. They're all important, but some have greater importance. Some have greater meaning. Some days matter more than others. For you, the most meaningful days in your life might be the day you were born. It's hard to not include that one. It might be the day that you got married. It might be the day that you had your children when they were born. It might be the day you graduated from college or something like that. But there are some days in your life that just were more meaningful than others. The thing about that is that they're not the same for each one of us. Somebody might share my birthday, obviously many people do, but not everyone shares my birthday. And so while my birthday might be a day for me to celebrate, it might be a meaningful day to me, it might just be just another day to everyone else. And the truth of the matter is that for somebody, my birthday was the worst day of their life because somebody they loved died the same day, maybe in the same hospital where I was born. And so some days are more meaningful than others, but the meaningful days are different for each one of us. That's not true in every respect, because some days matter a lot for all of humanity. What days matter most in human history? On what days in human history did the most meaningful things happen? Well, I'm not sure I have a very good answer to that question, but there is one answer I am sure of. Easter. Easter matters. A lot. Maybe more than you realize. Maybe more than you think it does. In this message, I want to talk about why Easter matters. The Bible gives us three reasons that we'll look at together. about why Easter matters. And these three reasons build on each other. That's why I'm taking them in the order that I am, because they come together and they build on one another. And so what are the three reasons the scripture gives for why Easter matters? The first reason why Easter matters is that Easter matters because Christianity depends on it. Easter matters because Christianity depends on it. And I want to explain why Christianity depends on it, but I want to tell you right off the bat that Christianity stands or falls based on whether the resurrection is true or false. If the resurrection is false, then so is Christianity. But if the resurrection is true, then so is Christianity. Let me explain. First thing I want us to understand is that Christianity rests on the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. There are many truths on which Christianity rests, but one of the key ones is this, that Jesus is the Son of God. And in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus conversed with his disciples about his identity. And he got them to say what he was thinking, what he wants them to say, what he was hoping they had understood from his life and his time on this earth. And so look with me at Matthew chapter 16, verses 15 through 17, where the scripture says this. Who do you say that I am? This is Jesus speaking after he asked the disciples, who do other people think I am? Now he says, who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. There's the claim that one of Jesus's disciples made, that Jesus is the son of God. Now notice that Jesus affirms the truth of this. He does not deny or disclaim being the Son of God. Instead, he says in verse 17, Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, in other words, you didn't learn this in school from another human being, but by my Father in heaven. By Jesus's response, we understand that he was praising Simon. for identifying him properly, for calling him the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And Jesus, as he affirmed Simon's answer, he was agreeing with it. And therefore, in a roundabout sense, but in a real clear sense, Christ himself was claiming to be the Messiah, to be the Christ, to be the Son of God. Now, if Christianity is true, then Jesus must be the Son of God because he claimed to be the Son of God. If Jesus is the Son of God, then Christianity must be true. All right, let me take that by you again, because it's really important, but it's easy to miss. If Christianity is true, then Jesus is the Son of God. And if Jesus is the Son of God, then Christianity is true. Those two statements hang together. If Jesus is the Son of God, then Christianity must be true. If Jesus is not the Son of God, then Christianity must be false. So how do we know if Jesus' claim to be the Son of God is true or false? I mean, I've said that Easter matters. because Christianity depends on it, and it depends on it because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Where does the resurrection fit in all of this? The answer is, it provides the proof that was necessary for Jesus to prove that he is the Son of God. Christianity rests on the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday proves that he is the Son of God. The Bible tells us that it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides the evidence. Now listen, anybody could claim to be the Son of God. I could claim to be the Son of God. Not one of you would believe it, nor should you, but I could make the claim. And then the question is, on what basis can I prove or can you disprove the claim that I made? And the same was true for Christ. In order to prove Himself to be the Son of God, what kind of proof could He offer that would close the case and definitively prove that He is the Son of God? The answer is the resurrection from the dead. Look at this passage with me. from Romans chapter 1 verse 4 where the scripture says, And who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. This verse tells us that the proof of Christ's claim that He was the Son of God is His resurrection from the dead. Now you need to understand that Christ always was the Son of God. He didn't become the Son of God by rising from the dead. Peter said, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, before He died and rose from the dead. What the resurrection did wasn't to make Jesus the Son of God, it was to prove that He was the Son of God. It was to appoint Him in power according to these words. That is, to declare without any mystery and without any doubt whatsoever that Jesus was who He says He is, that Jesus is what Christianity says He is, that He is truly the Son of God. Now again, this is important because anybody can claim to be the Son of God. But only the Son of God could rise from the dead. How do we know that Jesus really was raised from the dead, though? I mean, I told you that Christianity rests on the idea that Christ is the Son of God, and Jesus proved that He's the Son of God by rising from the dead. But how do we prove that He actually rose from the dead? How do we know? What distinguishes the resurrection of Christ as a historical fact from many other bogus claims that have been made throughout human history? The answer is important because Christianity stands or falls based on whether Christ rose from the dead and whether it can be proved. The resurrection declared that He is the Christ, and that's important because God provided, and because that is important, God provided an abundance of proof. And so that brings me to the next sub-point here, which is this. The resurrection of Christ matters so much that God provided abundant witnesses to it. Look at this passage from 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3-6. Scripture says there, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. That he was buried and that he was raised on the third day, there's the claim, according to the scriptures. But now here's the proof, verse five. And that he appeared to Cephas, that's Simon Peter, it's another name for him. And then to the 12, after that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time. most of whom are still living. This passage names the best known people who saw Jesus alive after they saw him crucified a few days before. It tells us by name who these people were who saw Jesus and spoke with him and interacted with him alive and well after they saw him die. It also tells us there are 500 others who all at the same time saw Jesus alive on earth, speaking in a human body, days after they watched him be crucified. That's a lot of witnesses. And Paul names some of these people and says, I can tell you who the other ones are that are still around if you really want to check it out for yourself. But this is more than enough witnesses to the resurrection of Christ to prove that Jesus actually, literally, physically, bodily rose from the dead. God made sure that a lot of people witnessed Jesus alive on earth because his resurrection is important. Easter matters because Christianity depends on it. And so that's the first thing I want you to understand this morning. There are many important days in human history. Easter is one of them. And one reason why it's important is because Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. Because Christ rose from the dead, Christianity is true. Now you may be thinking, well, that's fine for Christianity. But what about my everyday life? I mean, the truth of the matter is, throughout human history, there are events that got us where we are. There are wars and battles and things that happened in life before you and I came along that in some way affected our lives, but it's not something that affects us on an ongoing basis. And maybe you might think, The resurrection is one of those. Maybe you concede that Jesus rose from the dead and there's a lot of proof of it and so therefore maybe you'll agree with me that it proves that Christianity is true. But what about your everyday life? What about the life that you're living now? Why is Easter important to you? The answer to that question is very simply this. Easter matters because your eternal destiny depends on it. Easter is not some historical fact that has some kind of impact on us, but we may not know what it is. No, Easter is a historical fact. And it matters to every human being who's ever lived and ever will live. Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance on whether or not Easter is true and whether or not you believe it. Now, when I talked about Christ coming as the Son of God, one of the phrases that also describes Christ, one that you've heard, of course, is that He is the Savior. Christ came to save us. And that's what God promised that Christ would do. That's what God promised the Son of God would do when He came into this world, that He would save His people from their sins. But what does that mean, saving people? What it means is saving them from the wrath of God. The Bible says all over the place that every one of us has sinned against a holy God. And because we have sinned against God, and because God is just, He will punish every sin that is committed. But the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus, who died and rose again, is the Savior. He came to save us from the wrath of God that you and I deserve for our sins. That's what it means when we call Christ the Savior. He came to save us. from the wrath of God. The first part of saving us is that he died on the cross. That's what we remembered and commemorated on Good Friday. And that's essential too. The Bible says that Christ died for our sins. That means his death substituted for ours. That he stood as our substitute. Jesus then, when he died on the cross, received the punishment. of the wrath of God that sinners, people like you and me, deserved. That's the significance of the cross. That's the importance of the death of Christ. Christ stood in our place and received the penalty that we deserve for our sins. But the resurrection was necessary, too, not just the death of Christ. If Christ died and stayed dead, He can't be our Savior. And so the resurrection was necessary to complete the process of salvation. If you and I are going to be forgiven for our sins, if anyone is going to be forgiven for his or her sins, Jesus had to die on the cross, but he also had to rise from the dead. And so your eternal destiny depends on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that's because God forgives your sins, if you believe it. Do you understand that believing in the resurrection of Christ is essential to receive the forgiveness of sins? Jesus is the Savior, but He is not your Savior unless you believe that He died for you and you believe that he rose from the dead. Look at this passage of scripture from Romans chapter three, verses nine and 10. The scripture says, if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, now notice this, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If you're a Christian, if you've been around church life for a while, you're used to us saying you have to believe that Jesus died for your sins to be saved, and that's true. But this passage says you also have to believe that He rose from the dead to be saved. If you don't believe in the resurrection of Christ, other passages of Scripture say it very clearly. You're still in your sins. He is not your Savior. And so if you notice in the middle of that verse, you have to believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead in order to be saved. And then the verse goes on and says, for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified. And it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Why is the resurrection important? Because your eternal destiny depends on it. And it depends on whether or not you believe it in your heart or not. And so do you believe it? It's easy to say, I believe Jesus died on the cross. That's easy, right? People die all the time. But do you believe that he rose from the dead? If you want God to forgive your sins, if you want Jesus to be your savior, if you want the penalty that Jesus paid for sins to be applied to you, you must believe that he rose from the dead. And that's because of this. The Bible tells us the flip side is that God will not forgive your sins if you don't believe it. If you believe Jesus rose from the dead, for your justification, your sins are forgiven. But if you don't believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then God will not forgive your sins. Whether or not you have eternal life with God after this life is over, depends on whether you believe that Jesus died for you and rose again. Look at this passage in John chapter three, verse 36, where the scripture says, whoever believes in the son, and that means Jesus, we talked about him being the son of God, everything that the scripture teaches about him. Whoever believes in the son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the son will not see life. Why? for God's wrath remains on them." When Jesus died on the cross, His death on the cross was sufficient to save everyone God is going to save. But just because His death is sufficient doesn't mean it is applied to all. In fact, it isn't applied to all. The Bible says the only way the payment of Christ for your sins will be applied to you is if you believe that He died for you and if you believe that He rose again. If you don't believe those things, there is no forgiveness. Jesus is the Savior for others, but not for you. Instead, this passage says, God's wrath remains. And so if you don't believe Jesus died and rose again for you, your eternal destiny is not with God. it will be apart from God. And although Jesus died to receive the wrath of God, the wrath of God remains on those who don't believe in Him, which means those who die in their sins will suffer for eternity under the wrath of God in a place called hell. Why is it important that Jesus rose from the dead? Why does Easter matter? Well, one, because Christianity depends on it. Your eternal destiny depends on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and whether or not you believe it. Do you believe it? Have you come to the place in your life where you have accepted that you are a sinner before a holy God and worthy of experiencing the wrath of God for your sins? And have you come to the place in your life where you realize that Christ died for your sins and paid the penalty that you and I deserve for our sins and rose again to save us from our sins? That's the core message of the Christian faith. And it's one of the essential, important elements that everyone must reckon with, must either believe or refuse. Easter matters because Christianity depends on it. It also matters because your eternal destiny depends on it. But there's more. There's one more reason why Easter matters, and this has to do with us who have trusted in Jesus Christ. When we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are celebrating the forgiveness of sins that we have before God, no doubt. But do you realize, do you understand that as a Christian, There are ongoing benefits to the resurrection of Jesus Christ that matter to your life. That's the third reason why Easter matters. Easter matters, thirdly, because your life on this earth depends on it. If you're going to live the Christian life, you need to depend on the truth that Jesus rose from the dead. Once God saves you through faith in Jesus Christ, your eternity is secure. But God has done more than just save you for all eternity. He also provides some important things on a daily basis to help you walk with Him and live for Him and know Him and become a holy person like He is. And He does that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are the things the resurrection does for you in your daily life. First of all, The resurrection can release you from the fear of death. The resurrection can release you from the fear of death. As a Christian, I don't fear death. I will admit to you, I fear dying. That is, I fear my death will be painful, and I'm not looking forward to it. But I don't fear the event of death. I don't fear the end of my life. But most people do. Most people on earth are terrified of death. Maybe all of us are afraid of dying in a painful way, but most people are afraid of death itself because they don't know what happens next. And they've lived their lives based on a presumption that maybe this is the end, that death is the end. Or they've lived their lives based on the presumption that they're better than somebody else and so maybe God will accept them, but they don't know. So of course they fear death. We're designed to fear the unknown. And if you don't know what's going to happen to you after you die, of course you're going to be afraid to die. Well, Jesus did die. He's been through that door. And He rose from the dead. And the Bible says, one of the things He gives to those who trust in Him, to those who believe in His death and resurrection, is he gives us the power to no longer be afraid of death. Look at this passage from Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2 verses 14 through 15 says, Since the children, that means humanity, you and me, have flesh and blood, he, that's Jesus, he too shared in their humanity, so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Now this verse doesn't directly tie to the resurrection of Christ, but the context and the meaning of it depends on the resurrection of Christ. Christ couldn't free anyone from the fear of death if he hadn't conquered death himself. That's the point. And other passages of scripture tell us in no uncertain terms, like Revelation 1.18 is one of them, that tells us Jesus says, I am the living one. I died and I'm alive and I have the keys of death and Hades. The keys means he has the ability to unlock and lock. He owns it. That's the point. And he did all this through his resurrection. from the dead. If you're a Christian and you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead to save you, you do not need to fear death. Jesus defeated death and he will guard your eternal life through the doorway of death and into eternity if you believe in him. Easter matters because Christianity depends on it, and it matters to you because your eternal destiny depends on it. But it should matter to you, and it does matter to you on a day-to-day basis if you're a Christian, because the resurrection of Christ removes the fear of death from our lives. And if you're afraid of death because you've never trusted Jesus, here's one of the many benefits that the gift of eternal life in Christ gives. Put your faith in Jesus Christ, and you no longer need to fear what happens after you die. A second result of the resurrection of Christ is not only that it can release us from the fear of death, but that it gives us hope for this life. As Christians, the resurrection of Christ gives us hope for this life. In 1 Peter 1, verse 21, the scripture says, through him, through Jesus, you believe in God, who raised him from the dead, there's the resurrection, and glorified him. And so, because he was raised from the dead, the result is your faith and hope are in God. This verse links the resurrection of Christ from the dead with hope in this life. If God can raise the dead, and He did, then He can give you real, meaningful hope for every day left on this earth, no matter how many or how few that is. If your hope is in this world, if your hope is in politicians, If your hope is in human progress, if your hope is in human justice, if your hope is in science and technology, if your hope is in anything other than Jesus Christ who rose from the dead, if your hope is in anything other than God who raises the dead, then you are bound to be disappointed. You are bound to be disillusioned. You will suffer despair because none of those things can see you through death and deliver eternal life to you on the other side. All of them are false hopes. But because Jesus rose from the dead, you can have real hope in him. Easter matters for all the reasons I've given you, but we're talking about the ones that matter today. And if you're a Christian, Easter matters because it can release you from the fear of death and it can give you hope for this life. But the third ongoing benefit of the resurrection of Christ is that it gives power for this life. It gives power for this life. In Ephesians chapter one, verses 19 through 20, the scripture talks about God's incomparably great power for us who believe. And then he says this, that power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead. Do you understand what this passage is telling us and do you see the implications of it for your daily life? God promises power in this life for believers in Jesus Christ. He promises that you will have the power to change your life and become a holy person like God is holy. So many people want to change their lives. but are powerless to change themselves. The Bible says, in Christ, we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. And if it's powerful enough to raise a dead man, surely it's powerful enough to help you shed your bad habits that are sinful before God. Surely it is powerful enough to change your mind to becoming a loving person. Surely it's powerful enough to help you gain some self-control because that's part of the fruit of the Spirit. And I could go on and on like this. The Bible says the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you and me to live the Christian life daily. And so Easter matters because it empowers those who believe that Jesus rose from the dead. It empowers us to change and to grow and to become like Jesus Christ. Your progress in the Christian life, your progress in the faith, is not ultimately up to you. Yes, you have to be obedient to the law of God, to the word of God, but God has given you all the power you need to be obedient through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So why does Easter matter? Easter matters because Christianity depends on it. It matters because your eternal destiny also depends on it. And it matters because your life on this earth depends on it. And so my question is, does Easter matter to you? Have you gone through that second gate, that second point to where you have believed in the resurrection of Christ for salvation? Or are you on the outside of that question? Are you still under the wrath of God because you've never put your faith in the one and only Son who rose from the dead? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again to save you from them? Have you ever received His forgiveness of sins? The Bible says we receive this by faith, and that means simply calling out to God and believing that He will apply it to you if you reach out to Him in faith. The Scripture says this, Romans 10, verse 13, it says, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That's the promise of God. How do you get all of these benefits that Jesus secured through his resurrection from the dead? You get them by faith in Christ, by calling out in faith and receiving them. If you've ever called on Christ to save you, then you are saved for all eternity. You are protected by the power of God. But if you've never called on Christ to save you, do it now. Today is the best day to be saved, not because it's Easter Sunday, that's a nice benefit, but because it's today. Today is always the day of salvation. Today is always the day to call on God to be saved. And so I urge you to receive the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to call on Him in faith. And I can guide you. I'm going to pray a prayer out loud right now that you can pray in your heart. Just saying the words in your heart isn't what makes it effective. It's not an incantation. What matters is whether you believe them to be true or not. But the passage says, call on the name of the Lord. So I'm gonna pray a prayer of salvation out loud as a guide for you. And if you've never trusted Jesus as your savior, whether you're watching online or with us in person this morning, will you pray this in your heart and receive the salvation? that Jesus Christ gives by faith? Let's bow our heads and this is an opportunity for you to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray with me in your heart if you'd like to. Father, I have sinned against you, but I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose again. Save me as you said you would in Jesus' name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer and you believed it in your heart, the Bible says you've moved over from being under the wrath of God to being fully forgiven forever for your sins. And so congratulations. Today is a day of new life for you. But if you did pray that prayer, we would love to help you understand what it means to have eternal life and what it means to become a follower of Jesus Christ. And so let me urge you to take out your device at this time and go in our app to the back of the virtual response card and fill this out. Give us your name and your contact information so we can get in touch with you. And then if you scroll down a bit, you'll see there's a line that says, today I prayed with pastor to be saved. If you put a check mark there and hit submit, we'll contact you this week and show you what it means that you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you thought about praying, but you're not sure, there's another line that says, I would like to know more about how to become a Christian. You can check that one and we'll talk to you as well. But if you trusted Christ for salvation today, or if you're thinking about it, we would love, we need to talk. And so this is an opportunity for you to let us know, so we can follow up with you. And of course, if you have any other needs, as always, there's a form at the bottom, just put in your prayer requests, put in your need, anything we can help you out with, type it in, and go ahead and hit submit, and we'll do our best to help you and serve you. Easter matters. And because it matters, we can rejoice on this Resurrection Sunday. As the worship team comes to lead us in a closing song, would you bow with me in a word of prayer and thanks? Father, we thank you so much for all that you've done for us in Jesus Christ. In Him, you have given us, by your grace, so many spiritual blessings, every spiritual blessing in Christ. We thank you for that, Lord. We thank you that as we remember the resurrection of Christ today, that you have graciously brought these things into our lives by faith. Lord, I pray for anyone who may have prayed to receive you as Savior today, that you would help us to get with them. Give us a chance to speak with them and show them what it means to become a follower of Jesus. I ask this in his name. Amen. Would you stand with us and let's rejoice together as we worship the Lord in song.