WHAT IF EASTER DIDN'T EXIST?

Death laid his hands on Jesus. It put Jesus in a tomb.

There was a stone in the mouth of that tomb and the seal of the Roman government was placed upon that tomb.
But on the third day, Jesus Christ stirred Himself.
He rose from the sleep of death, Jesus Christ passed through the walls of that rock-hewn tomb.

Jesus Christ is Alive.
He is not behind us in a tomb but before us on a throne. I want to ask you a question. Suppose that had not happened. Suppose death still held Jesus like it does to those that died before him and after him?

WHAT IF EASTER DIDN'T EXIST?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

I’ll admit, it’s a loaded question.
Much like, “What if you were never born?” That question is heavy, strong, and loaded.
But this question, "WHAT IF EASTER DIDN'T EXIST?" should be considered very carefully. Because the truth is, an entire faith hinges upon this event. Churches today exist because they believe in Easter, in the resurrection. Countless millions of people place their faith in Christ because they believe His resurrection to be true.

What would our lives be like if the resurrection never occurred, if Easter didn’t exist?

OUR MESSAGE WOULD BE POWERLESS.

If Easter doesn’t exist, then our message is powerless.
What is our message? That God loved us so much He sent Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross. He took our place, what we deserved, and paid the price for our sins.
He suffered and died. He was buried in a borrowed tomb for three days. But He rose again on the third day by the power of Almighty God. He ascended to Heaven and now offers victory over sin through the cross and victory over death through the resurrection.

But if Christ didn’t rise, then Easter doesn’t exist. And if Easter doesn’t exist, our message is powerless. The purpose of believers is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, but there’s really not that much good news without the resurrection.

Think about presenting the Gospel without the good news. All you would have left is bad news. Could you imagine sharing with someone that because of their sin they would now be separated from God for all eternity in hell, a place full of fire and brimstone, a place where the worm never dies and the fire is not quenched? Then can you imagine the person coming under conviction for that sin and feeling the full weight of that penalty and then have them beg you to tell them what they could do to escape the coming wrath of God. If Christ was not resurrected then all we could say is “hey good luck with that.”

OUR FAITH WOULD BE USELESS.

If Easter didn’t exist, or if Christ has not risen then our “FAITH IS IN VAIN.” In other words, what good is faith if Christ hasn’t risen from the dead?

If Christ has not risen then it’s all a myth and there’s no need to follow Him with your life. You can live any way you want, act any way you want, do anything you want, say anything you want and it doesn’t matter at all. You see, if Easter didn’t exist, our faith wouldn’t matter at all.

Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who

loved me and gave Himself for me.” Because Christ is risen you can trust Him. You can trust Him with your life, with your family, friendships, finances, and future.

OUR SALVATION WOULD BE POINTLESS.

If Easter didn’t exist, our salvation would be pointless. In fact, if Easter didn’t exist, there would be no such thing as salvation.

You see, salvation promises the forgiveness of sins. But the Bible says that if Christ has not risen we’re still in our sin, it’s not forgiven, we owe the debt ourselves.

Salvations promises a future, a resurrection one day, and a home forever in heaven. But if Christ has not been raised from the dead, we can’t expect to be raised from the dead either. You see, a major part of our salvation is the forgiveness of sins and the promise of a resurrection. But if Jesus didn’t rise again, then we can’t experience this salvation at all.

Think about it like this: If Jesus did not rise from the dead we are still guilty of our sin before God. If we are still guilty of our sin, if we still owe a debt for our sin, we cannot have fellowship with God. Sin separates us from a holy God. If we are still in our sins then it means that God is holding our sins against us. To have fellowship with God our sin must be forgiven.

No resurrection, No Forgiveness.

OUR LIFE WOULD BE HOPELESS.

Let’s be honest, we want our lives to count for something; to matter, and make a difference. But if Christ has not been raised from the dead, Paul says “we are of all people most to be pitied.” Why? Because everything we’re living for is a lie and it doesn’t matter.

If Christ has not risen, if Easter doesn’t exist, then life is hopeless. And all of the things you do in this life for Him, they don’t matter at all. If Christ has not risen, I’ve wasted my life living a lie, believing in God for nothing. If Christ has not risen, our life would be hopeless!

If Easter Don’t Exist? Christianity is all but a joke.

But Thank God for the Victory of Christ Jesus over the Cross, Death, Grave, and Hell.

As we celebrate Easter, we should know that He is Alive, seated in the Right Hand of God.

Hallelujah!!!