Sermon "Jesus: Life Shatters the Tomb" by Randy Roberts 
Part 4 — Jesus: First, Last and Best

Prayer: Genevieve Isidro

Pastoral Welcome: Bernard Taylor

Children’s Feature: Calvin Thomsen

Scripture Reading: John 20:1–8, TNIV - Anny Ha, Carolyn Quijano

INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON

Easter. What difference does it make in your life? I’m not asking about the debate as whether or not we should celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on the day that our predecessors in church history chose, a day we today call Easter. I am asking about the difference the key event of history – the resurrection of Jesus, which we celebrate at Easter – makes in your life. What difference does it make?

I love the words of W. Paul Jones: “What one sees depends on where one sets up one’s shop. Mine is at the entrance of the empty tomb.”

If you set up shop at the entrance to an empty tomb, what will you see? Well, you’ll see desperate and fearful disciples come and leave – they come with fear-filled faces and leave with hope-filled eyes. You’ll see grief-stricken followers come to bury loved ones and you’ll watch them leave, clinging to the hope of another resurrection to come. You’ll see people who are at the end of their rope; you’ll see them come to this place and find another reason to go on, another reason to cling to hope.

And you may even see a guilt-ridden disciple named Peter come. He comes with tears soaking his beard, with sobs wracking his body. The horrible betrayal is just hours passed. He comes to weep at the tomb and to say repeated “I’m sorrys” to the stone that closes its mouth. But when he gets there, the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty!

No wonder that you then see him leave as a transformed person! You witness to the genesis of what will later cause him to write these words: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3, TNIV).

What difference does Easter make in your life? It makes all the difference in the world! It’s just like the apostle Paul told the Corinthians: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14, TNIV). But since he has been raised, everything changes.

What difference does it make? It makes the difference that we can face today, tomorrow and eternity with the confident hope that Jesus lives. And because he does, we have hope!

May God give you his richest and best blessings today.

Randy Robert
Senior Pastor

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