April 19-20, 2025 – Easter

Title: Following our living and risen Lord!
Text: 1 Cor. 15:20-23

Facebook live: Following our living and risen Lord!

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.


You have come here to celebrate.
I am here to celebrate with you.
We celebrate the day of resurrection, Christ’s and ours.

This is the Lord's Day.

The only reason we come together and worship on Sunday throughout the year is that this is the Lord's Day. It all began on here, the first day of the week.

It all began quietly in the darkness of the dawn of the Lord's Day, when some women came inside of the tomb to take care of some duties for which there had not been time the previous Friday evening.

It was a considerate and loving thing to do.
Women have a way of doing things like that?
Where were the men?

They cowering behind locked doors for fear of what someone might do to them?

So, it was the women who first heard the good news.
Almost too good to be believed, too awesome to be grasped.
We can understand their feelings when they saw from a distance that the stone had been rolled away.
We can feel with them when they looked into the tomb and saw that his body of Jesus was not there.

5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Jesus is alive!
He is risen.
Fear and terror were upon them.

The angel had to tell the shepherds not to be afraid, and two men in shining clothing had to tell the woman not to be afraid, and you and I have come and need to hear it again.

Good news from God in a world of bad news.
It comes straight from God’s word.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

That is the work of our heavenly father, by his great glory, God raised Jesus from the dead and declared him to be the Son of God with power.

He is Lord, he is alive.
Death makes afraid, but God makes alive!
In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.
If you miss that then you miss everything about Easter.
It doesn't make any difference what kind of problems you bring with you to church today?
It doesn't make any difference what kind of sins rise up to trouble you?

Jesus Christ is alive, take heart. In him sins are forgiven!

The sermon hymn brings this joy to our mouth and ears right from the start.

Jesus lives! The vict'ry's won!
Death no longer can appall me;
Jesus lives! Death's reign is done!
From the grave Christ will recall me.
Brighter scenes will then commence;
This shall be my confidence.

The history of our sinful world, is described by saint Paul in our epistle today in such wonderful terms.

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

The resurrection story is as carefully documented by eyewitnesses as any event that ever happened in history.

People saw Jesus, talked to him and ate with him.

Those people who were afraid and despondent after his death, suddenly found a courage and enthusiasm that took them to the ends of the Earth.

In the face of all kinds of difficulties and dangers which might have invited them to forget all about him - they proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the hope of Mankind.

They were convinced beyond all doubt that he had risen.

Listen to the Apostle Paul, who as a a persecutor of the church had an encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road:

With unaccustomed humility he asks.

4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

He is alive.
In fact, Paul writes:
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a work of God.
It happened to Jesus Christ and it will also happen to you.
By faith in Christ, you have this promise.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

The good news from God is that Jesus Christ was a man.
He was human as Adam was human and as we are human.
He was fully man, and fully God.
He was like us, having to take all the pressures of life and subject to the same temptations, yet in all his humanity, without sin.

He suffered everything we have to suffer even death itself.
We feel with him as he said that day on his cross.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

That is a human response. Christ is fully human but also fully God.

Jesus lives! To Him the throne
High above all things is given.
I shall go where He is gone,
Live and reign with Him in heaven.
God is faithful; doubtings, hence!
This shall be my confidence.

With confidence we celebrated today but others are fearful.
Death is a hard subject.

The reality of death causes some to think about it all the time and they just can't get death off their minds.

Even their happy moments are ruined because they know that these moments can't last forever.

Death will come. Maybe a lot sooner than you might expect. How can you be happy when you know that? How can anyone expect to be happy when he knows that?

Funerals bring that to mind.
You feel the reality of death yourself.
Funerals are hard to accept so we celebrate life.

It was by a man that death came. Paul wrights, and all men die. We are all born in Adam and born is sin and the wages of sin is death.

We are human as Adam was human.

On the other side we celebrate the man who rose from the dead. On the 3rd day after his crucifixion, Jesus Christ woke up from death as death could not hold him.

Saint Paul tells us that Christ rose from the dead never to die again.
Other resurrections were only a postponement of death.
Christ victory over death is complete and permanent.
When he left the tomb and the first Easter, Jesus said Goodbye to death forever.

Jesus lives! I know full well
Nothing me from Him shall sever,
Neither death nor pow'rs of hell
Part me now from Christ forever.
God will be my sure defense;
This shall be my confidence.

With confidence we say goodbye to death forever too!
Jesus is unique. The victim became the Victor.
Not only did he overcome death, he overcame the cause of death, sin.

St. Paul writes: the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law, but thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Christ accepted the punishment of sin himself.
He experienced the whole force of sin, himself.
He came out on top carrying with him the sins of the whole world.
He overcame the cause of death for you too!

All those who belong to Jesus Christ with confident faith that he is their savior of the world; God will raise from death to life.

Believe it!

Jesus lives! And now is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense;
Jesus is my confidence!

There are two types of death.
One is for the purpose of judgment. The others for the purpose of resurrection.
One is headed for destruction. The other is headed for life.

You plant a seed, and with great hope and expectation you wait, knowing that the time will come when it sprouts.

God brings that seed the life. Only God’s power can.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ puts power into the lives of his people.
It is what happens to people who belong to Christ Jesus.

His disciples were people like you and me, in need of forgiveness for the past and for fearfulness of the future.

Though fearful on the morning of his resurrection, these disciples went out with Great-Power and gave witness to the resurrection with great courage.

What they had was a new life empowered by the power of God who raised Jesus from the dead.

What they had was hope, not in the celebration of a life that would end, but in a hope of a life eternal that Christ promised will never end.

This hope is yours.

Jesus Christ gives life to the dead and in Christ you will rise!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

Modified: Concordia Pulpit Rev. Oswald C. J. Hoffmann C 1976