Sermon for Sunday, April 6th, 2026 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Isaiah 53:10-12 ESV] 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
New Testament Reading:
[Acts 17:22-34 ESV] 22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
Gospel Reading:
[John 11:17-27 ESV] 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 28:1-10 ESV] 1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Introduction – The Name of the Day
Today is Resurrection Sunday.
I originally was going to name this sermon “Resurrection Day.” But that has multiple meanings. The day Jesus rose from the dead is A resurrection day, but so also is the day when WE ALL shall rise at the end of the world.
So what we are really looking at today is Resurrection SUNDAY.
We commonly call this day EASTER. And its not wrong to use that term, though some would argue so. The thing is the term EASTER comes not from the Bible. In fact, in many languages the day is called Pascha from the Hebrew word for Passover. But just a few languages have the word EASTER or something similar. Its just English, German, and the micro-language Luxembourgish. Everyone else says “pascha.” Why do we say Easter?
I once fell into the story, which turned out false, that Easter came from “Ishtar,” a Babylonian goddess. But there is no connection. The words sounds similar – Easter and Ishtar – but the distance in time and place makes for the impossibility of the connection.
The actual origin of the word “Easter” is probably that which is noted by the 8th century English Monk known as the Venerable Bede wrote that Easter (or Eostre) was the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess. And in his time there were feasts to her during this month. So when Christianity come in, the practices changed, but the name remained. No one today (not in the church anyways) is worshipping Eostre. And, in my opinion, there is no need to remove the term Easter from our vocabulary and usage. Indeed, if we did that and were consistent, we’d have to remain Tuesday (which is named after the god Tyr of Norse Mythology) and Wednesday which is named after the god Odin/Wodin and Thursday which is named after Thor, etc. etc. It just isn’t possible or necessary to change all these terms. I ever heard once years ago some rather silly people who didn’t like to say “hello” because it contained the letters H-E-L-L so they said “HEAVN-o” instead.
Well, we have the term “Easter” but we remember that THIS is the resurrection day or resurrection SUNDAY.
We see in our passage that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was on a Sunday, “toward the dawn of the first day of the week.” So while there are various schemes proposed for year Jesus died, and the day of the year, and even the day of the week on which he died, there can be no doubt that “he is risen” on the first day of the week.
And that powerful truth is what caused Christians from the beginning to meet together on the first day of the week, remembering the resurrection. In that sense, EVERY SUNDAY is resurrection day; it is the day of the week in which we remember Christ’s resurrection.
BUT, it is WHAT happened (and its meaning) that is more important than what we call it.
Here is the reality:
The disciples woke up that day very SAD.
But before the day was over they were very GLAD.
What brought about that change? How was that possible.
There are four major things, I contend, that happened that RESURRECTION SUNDAY that CHANGED the disciples of Christ forever. [REPEAT: four major things that happened on Resurrection Sunday that changed the disciples lives forever]
(1) The resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is, the miracle itself. The literal coming back to life of a man who was deceased.
(2) The promises of the Old Testament were confirmed.
(3) Jesus’s own predictions were fulfilled.
(4) And it gave the people hope for their own resurrection. So it would have been an almost overwhelming thing; no doubt the women who saw the empty tomb were elated beyond measure. And the disciples when they saw Jesus; how thrilled they were as well.
I. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
The most important thing to say about the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that IT DID HAPPEN in actual history.. This isn’t some allegorical, mythical, or spiritual saying. It isn’t wishful thinking. It is the literal coming-back-alive of the man Jesus.
It was literally and physically (and historically) true that Jesus rose from the dead, such that Jesus would soon say to Doubting Thomas “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27)
Those who saw Jesus in his post-resurrection appearances included Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), Mary the mother of James (Matthew 28:1), Joanna (Luke 24:10), Peter (Luke 24:34), James (1 Corinthians 15:7), and then Christ appeared multiple times to all of the apostles gathered together. Even, as a Paul says, Christ appeared to a large group of 500 in Jerusalem. There was no doubt: He IS risen.
So we have the disciples of Christ united on the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. You don’t find in the history ANY follower of Jesus saying anything else. There was no debate among them; He IS risen indeed. That is notable: people, especially the larger the group gets, are unlikely to agree on ANYTHING unless they actually saw it for themselves. And they did – Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them alive. He is Risen indeed.
II. Fulfillment of Old Testament
So, the first and most important thing that happened that Resurrection Sunday is that Jesus rose from the dead.
Second, this fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy.
There are a number of passages we could look at, but I want to focus on just one: Isaiah 53:10-12
This is the well known chapter where we read much about the prophesied CRUCIFIXION of Christ, that he “was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.”
What is not as often noted are these verses later in the chapter, where —even though “it was the will of the Lord to CRUSH him”— yet we read “out of the anguish of his soul HE SHALL SEE AND BE SATISFIED.” That “seeing” is in present tense; it is only possible for one who is alive. Though suffering servant is given a “grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,” yet HE LIVES.
And then, in verse 12 it says that “he shall divide the spoil.” Again, an active present that can only be possible by one who is alive. And if the same has died, then to be alive requires a resurrection.
Now the Jews have a “corporate” view of Isaiah 53. They believe the suffering servant is not the messiah, but is Israel, the nation itself. And, granted, if you look at other references to “the servant” in the preceding chapters in Isaiah, you’ll find “Israel” connected to it. Isaiah 41:8, for example, say “But you, Israel, my servant” and Isaiah 44:21 says “Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant.” BUT then, they miss that “the servant” in later chapters is not the nation, but the messiah himself. And the evidence is there in Isaiah 53. There it speaks of the servant “stricken for the transgression of my people.” So “the servant” and “my people” are NOT the same. The people are Israel, so the servant (stricken for the people) is NOT Israel; it is the Christ. And, of the suffering servant we find that “he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” This CANNOT be a description of Israel. All throughout the Old Testament, Israel is seen to be sinning against the Lord. The people of God are not innocent by any means. But Christ was perfect, holy, and sinless. So it is clear that the servant is Christ.
There is another Old Testament reference to the resurrection of Christ that even the New Testament references. Psalm 16:10 says “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. Then, Luke, in the book of Acts references that verse in relation to Jesus. Luke says “[David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:31)
His flesh did not see corruption because it was not left forever to rot in the earth, but was raised up to new life.
III. Fulfillment of Christ’s Promises
Then, third, on the list of things that happened that Resurrection Sunday that changed the disciples forever, we have the fulfillment of Christ’s own promises.
We know well that He said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:18)
And there is the “Sign of Jonah” which Jesus promised to give that generation. “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40)
And then there are more explicit, direct, sayings of Christ.
Matthew 16:21 tells us that “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priest and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
He made it clear to his disciples. But they didn’t always understand or believe. So when the third day came, there is no textual evidence of the disciples expecting Jesus to rise. Rather, they were confused or in hiding, and went not themselves to the tomb. Only the women went to the tomb. And they went NOT because they were expecting a resurrection, but they went to lovingly anoint his body with spices. That is, they expected the body to still be there. But it was NOT! He Is Risen, as they would soon understand.
So we have (1) the resurrection itself, (2) the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and (3) the fulfillment of Jesus’s own prophecies regarding his resurrection. Then, fourthly, on Resurrection Sunday, a major thing that occurred was that of “giving hope for believers.”
IV. Hope for believers.
Believers before Christ were not without hope.
But believers after Christ have that hope of the messiah proven in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So those disciples, waking up SAD and ending the day GLAD, were profoundly shocked by the resurrection of Christ, then having His Words come back to their memory, and a flood of Old Testament prophecies coming to the mind, and then having that grand realization of the meaning of the resurrection. Not only IS He risen, but we have assured hope in the resurrection of ALL who are united with Christ. What a change indeed. The greatest day of their lives; Resurrection Sunday.
This is what I hope resurrection Sunday means to you: that it gives you hope that death is conquered and your eternal life is assured.
So all those other things that we enjoy – the fellowship of believers, dressing in pastels, eating ham, eating chocolate eggs, all of these things they are not to be diminished but rather amplified because we are doing these things with joy and hope in the resurrection.
And thus this day, and each Sunday, and even each day of your life is the greatest day because each day you have that truth and hope of the resurrection.
How does the resurrection change your life, on a practical level?
A. Hope in Suffering
We can have Hope in suffering. There will an end to your suffering, but not an end TO YOU. You, Christian believer, have a future with no suffering; an eternal future with the Lord. What a great hope that is.
[1 Peter 1:3-4 ESV] 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
We have a living hope, constantly renewed as we remember Christ’s resurrection.
So Paul says:
[Romans 8:18 ESV] 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
The resurrection TO NEW LIFE promises us that we have NOT ONLHY A PRESENT TIME, but a FUTURE TIME in glory WITHOUT SUFFERING.
B. Hope in Grief
Then, the resurrection gives us Hope in Grief.
We’ve had a number of people pass away around us. We are grieving; some days and some times more than others, but we all grieve.
But while loved ones are no longer with us here, we have this hope even in grief that Paul speaks of in 1 Thessalonians. A hope because of the resurrection:
[1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 ESV] 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
The resurrection proves that death is not the end. Death has been conquered in Jesus Christ, and life is our destiny.
So we have hope in suffering, hope in grief, and finally hope in everyday work because of the resurrection.
C. Hope in Everyday Work
Because of the resurrection, Paul says:
[1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV] 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
The work that you do is not fleeting and meaningless; it has eternal significance in the plan of God. The good work you do is remembered and even rewarded. So “keep it up.” There is an eternal life for all believers because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So let us this Resurrection Sunday put our hope in the Lord, knowing that all things work together in his plan for those whom He loves; the people of God for whom Christ suffered and died, and rose again. And let us proclaim “He Is Risen.” He is risen indeed.
Let us pray.