(Delmont Record – 4/18/2017)

The Centrality of Easter

Then Jesus told [Thomas], “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”   John 20:29

These words were spoken to Thomas by the resurrected Jesus. He had appeared earlier to the other disciples, but Thomas was missing. Despite hearing their accounts of their encounter with the risen Lord, Thomas refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he could see for himself. Jesus granted this request, and Thomas responded with belief declaring, “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28). It is at this point that Jesus states the need for all of us to believe, whether we have seen Him with our own eyes or not.

At this point in his Gospel, the Apostle John notes in verses 30-31, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” It is no accident that this comes right after Jesus’ words to Thomas. This clarifies for every reader what John means when he says that we need to “believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.” It means that we need to confess as Thomas did that we believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is our Lord and our God.

This is echoed by the Apostle Paul who wrote in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” You see, our salvation is utterly dependent on our belief in Easter – that Jesus was physically raised from death to life on that third day. For if we reject the bodily resurrection of Jesus, we are rejecting the entire Christian faith, we are rejecting Christ Himself, and we are rejecting salvation. Belief in the resurrection and salvation are inextricably linked.

Paul takes this even a step further in 1 Corinthians 15. In verses 17-19 he states, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  Here Paul points out that if Jesus was not raised from the dead that every part of our faith is worthless. If Jesus wasn’t raised, Jesus shouldn’t matter to us at all. If Jesus wasn’t raised, the entire Christian faith is worthless, and more than that, the entire Christian faith would be lamentable. It would be pitiful. But thankfully, Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [died].”

When it comes to the Christian faith, Easter is everything. If the resurrection never happened, the Christian faith is worthless. But since it happened, how can Jesus Christ not be the most important in our life? This really shows how the resurrection and the Lordship of Christ are also linked. For no one can truly regard Jesus as Lord without believing that God raised Him from the dead. Also, no one really and truly believes that Jesus was raised from the dead without acknowledging that then He must be Lord. As soon as Thomas knew Jesus was alive, he confessed that Jesus was his Lord and God.  And if we claim to believe that Jesus Christ has been raised, then we must do the same. To deny Jesus’ Lordship, to deny His rule in our life, is to deny His resurrection.  What confession are you making with your life today? What does Easter mean to you? Is it your everything, or do you treat it as pitiful nonsense?

This was the focus of the very first sermon recorded in the Bible following the resurrection of Jesus. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, proclaimed in Acts 2:32, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.” Later in verse 36, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” And it says that when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And in verse 42, it says that those who responded, those who believed, devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

So if the message of the resurrection of Jesus has pricked your heart, I encourage you to respond in the same way. Confess of Jesus as Thomas did, “My Lord and My God.” And if you have never been baptized, respond to that call. And if you have been baptized, either devote yourself anew or continue to be devoted to the Word of God, the fellowship of believers, and the blessed communion with the risen Jesus through sacrament and prayer. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.