But As It Is (Easter 2026)

The resurrection of Jesus is the load-bearing wall of everything that matters. Remove it, and the whole structure comes down. This Easter, we open 1 Corinthians 15 and follow the Apostle Paul's argument all the way to the end. Six walls collapse if Christ was not raised. But two small words in the original language meaning, "but as it is", change absolutely everything.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You know, I don't remember if I've uh shared this story here before. So if literally, I don't remember because that's the age I'm I'm at now. And so if you've heard this, I I apologize. I think most of you probably this will be fresh. I I grew up in the church, you know, going to church, and I don't really remember missing church unless you had the flu or something like that. And that was kind of really one of the only reasons we ever missed. And and I went to a pretty large church growing up, which meant we had a big youth group, and we also, you know, because we had such a large church, we would put on these massive Easter and Christmas productions. And and so it was always kind of a big deal when those came around, especially the Easter production too. We called it the light. And so, you know, there was this huge cast of volunteers from our church that got to be a part of it. And and when I was in seventh grade, I landed this huge role in the light called Servant. And I was just one of many servants, and so it was really probably the smallest role in the entire production. But I remember those days like really, really fondly. We we did multiple shows over several days, and you know, it was a full choir and orchestra, and it was it was, you know, thousands of people would come and see. It was quite elaborate, and it was uh one of the biggest scenes of, of course, during the entire, you know, show was the crucifixion scene. And I got to be in that scene as a servant. I can't remember why servants were in that scene, but they were. And I was there with a couple of other servants and some Roman soldiers. And the team at this church had constructed this really incredible life-size cross. And the man that was playing Jesus during this particular, you know, scene would lie down on the cross. You know, the lights were low, the music was building and all of that. And and he had these straps that he would sort of put his hands in, and and it looked like a nail was coming out of the front of the straps. And I just thought all of that was like really, really cool. And there were brackets on the back of the straps, and they would like bracket into the cross itself. And and so every single performance, he would get into the brackets and and onto the cross, and at the appropriate time, the soldiers, while the whole scene is unfolding, would slowly raise the cross into place. And it was as the music was intensifying, and the the extras, you know, at this at the foot of the cross were were crying and the special effects were were thundering until this perfect crescendo, when the cross dropped into place and the the man that was playing Jesus, he would always fling his body, sort of exaggerating uh the moment to perfection. It was really, I mean, it wasn't Broadway, but it was church production, church production work of art. It was really quite exquisite perfection. Except for one particular night when Jesus strapped his hands and feet into the brackets and onto the cross, and the Roman soldiers began lifting the cross into place, and the music is intensifying, the extras are crying extra. They were doing a great job. The special effects were thundering, and at the perfect crescendo, as the cross drops into place, one of the brackets holding Jesus' hand bent. And his hand came out of the bracket, off of the cross. And because he would always exaggerate this moment, he flung his body and the momentum sort of brought him all the way across so that it put weight on the other bracket, and that one bent, and Jesus fell off the cross in front of thousands of people, the night we were on live television, nonetheless. My grandmother was watching from home, and when I saw her later, she said, Was that supposed to happen? No, grandma, Jesus was not supposed to fall off of the cross, but he did. He did. In our Easter production at church. What was supposed to happen? I think about this some. What was supposed to happen to Jesus at the end? Was he supposed to be hung on the cross? Was it something he wanted? Was it something the Romans did? Was it something the religious leaders did? What was supposed to happen? Did God have a plan and it sort of go awry and then somehow he swooped in to redeem the whole thing by raising Jesus from the dead? What was supposed to happen 2,000 years ago? I think more importantly, what actually did happen and why did it happen? Why did it happen? And why does any of this that we're talking about today, why does any of us, uh any of it matter? You know, I think for a lot of us today in the room, it's fair to say Easter is a meaningful day. The music is good, the flowers are out, you're here with family. And if someone pressed you on what you actually believed about the resurrection, some of us might say, no, I believe that Jesus actually resurrected from the dead. It was a historic event, something that really, literally happened. But not all of us. I wonder if some of us might say, you know, it doesn't really matter whether Jesus literally rose from the dead, because what it what matters is what it represents. The things we talk about, like hope and new beginnings, resurrection, sort of more as an idea. We're sort of more comfortable, a lot of us, with that, than we are making this proclamation that a man died and and was resurrected. The Apostle Paul has something very interesting to say about all of this. And the thing I want to say this morning on the front end is we can either decide to agree with what Paul says or disagree with what Paul says. But the one thing we can't decide is that it just doesn't matter. That it doesn't really matter what we believe. We're really called into account here. You can't not care, is what I'm trying to say. So what Paul's about to show us here is that the resurrection of Jesus is that it matters. It is the load-bearing wall of everything that matters. The resurrection isn't something that just happened, but everything hinges on it. Everything is built upon it, so that if it didn't happen, in just a second we'll see. None of what we're doing today matters. Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. There should be Bibles on each of these rows here. If you'd like to use one of those, please feel free to do that. I know many of you use Bible apps, which I use a lot. Uh feel free to use that as well. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And when you get there, we're gonna start reading in verse 12. 1 Corinthians 15 to 12. This is what the apostle writes. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. So let's stop there. There were people in the church at Corinth who believed, like many of us, that Jesus actually rose from the dead. There were some people who struggled with that belief, struggled accepting that Jesus would be raised from the dead. And there's a reason for that. I mean, they were pretty much fine with Jesus as a special case, but but many people struggled in Corinth with this idea in particular that ordinary human bodies would be raised. And the problem they have with it was Greek thinking at the time, which is the way they would have thought. According to Greek thinking at the time, the body was a cage. The body was a prison. And so death ultimately provided freedom and escape from the prison of the body. One day they would be free from their aging, broken, and sinless bodies, but only after they died. And so, why in the world, according to them, would you want your body to be raised after dying? It was the problem, your body, it was the problem to begin with. And so, introducing this idea of the resurrection of Christ, Paul isn't arguing with their philosophy. You don't see that anywhere here. It's not that he agrees with it, but he chooses not to argue with them. He does something more dangerous, actually. He follows their logic and he plays it out all the way to the end. In essence, he says, okay, let's say you're right. Let's say there is no resurrection of the dead. If that's true, then what would that mean for us? Look at verse 14. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, our preaching is useless. And so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God. For we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not, but he sorry, that he raised Christ from the dead, but he did not raise him, if in fact the dead are not raised, like you believe. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, you're still in your sins, and then those who also have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Those who have died in Christ, they're gone forever. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. Okay, so what is Paul doing here? Well, Paul is doing, he's saying, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ hasn't been raised, we have a very big problem on our hands. If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, here are the dominoes that fall. Let's just walk through them very quickly one at a time. Number one, if Christ wasn't raised, our preaching is empty. Paul's saying, every message I've ever delivered to you, or any of the other apostles, or any word that you've ever heard, or the testimony of other believers that have gone before you, even those who have been martyred for their faith, their preaching, their proclamation, their message, useless, absolutely useless. Which means our preaching today is useless. Paul doesn't say, hey, if Christ hasn't been raised from the dead, then our teaching's a little misguided, or it's imperfect. No, he says it's empty. Every sermon every preached, every word spoken about Jesus from every pulpit in every country, in every century, just noise. It's just noise. Vapor. Nothing if Christ has not been raised from the dead. Secondly, if Christ wasn't raised, he says, your faith is empty. Ooh, okay. So not only is our preaching in vain, but your faith means absolutely nothing. It holds no weight whatsoever. It doesn't matter. You've arranged your life around something that isn't there. Every prayer that you've prayed, every act of obedience, every sacrifice that you've made in the name of following Jesus, you've done it for absolutely nothing if Christ hasn't been raised. Number three, he says, if Christ wasn't raised, then we are false witnesses. False witnesses, boy, that's a that's a big charge to bear false witness. If Christ wasn't raised, we're all false witnesses. Paul and the apostles aren't just wrong, they're they're liars. They claim to have seen Jesus alive after he died. They lied about that. He wasn't supposed to be raised, they made it up. And people were killed for refusing to deny that claim. I mean, how sad is that to have brainwashed people into believing that Christ was raised from the dead to the point where, when facing death, they held on to that belief and they died for nothing. Empty if Christ hasn't been raised. Number four, he says, if Christ wasn't raised, you're still in your sins. The cross really didn't accomplish anything whatsoever. The death of Jesus meant nothing if he wasn't raised. The debt that is still on your ledger, the debt between you and God, it hasn't been paid. You still owe it. And you're gonna have to pay it. So whatever you were hoping the death of Jesus dealt with, it didn't if Christ wasn't raised. Five, he says, if Christ Christ wasn't raised, then the dead are gone. Meaning, everyone you've ever buried, you know, everyone you've ever lost, anyone who's in Christ who has died, they're now just gone. They're not waiting for you. They're not being held somewhere. They're gone. And then Paul lands on probably the sharpest line in the whole passage. He says, even only for this, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, he says, and this is the sixth one, we are of all people most to be pitied. Have you ever been pitied? Did you like it? To be pitied is really one of the worst things to experience. You're not wrong, you're not misled, you're just pitiful. You're pitiful. We gave our lives to something that wasn't real. Everything that everyone says about us being crazy and all that stuff out there, they're right. Paul says we gave our lives to something that wasn't real. If Christ wasn't raised, that is what this is: a colossal waste of everyone's time. We are the most pathetic people on the planet. See, Christ being raised is a big deal. It's a big deal. And Christians and followers of Jesus attest to this truth. We believe and we hold to that Christ was literally and actually raised from the dead, because if not, our whole world falls apart. Our whole world falls apart. I love this, what Paul does next. Look at verse 20. But this is the English word, but, right? He says, but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. This English word here, just the one word, but it actually comes from two Greek words, nunide. And it means, but as it is, or but in fact. So Paul has gone through this whole thing. He's saying, Imagine if Christ had never been raised from the dead. Look at your life. It means absolutely nothing. But in fact, he was. But in fact, but as it is. Paul isn't making a new argument. He's making an announcement, a pronouncement. He's saying the resurrection is not just a symbol. The resurrection is not just a metaphor. He's saying that the resurrection is not a spiritual concept dressed up in ancient language, some sort of legend that we perpetuate to make ourselves feel better about what might happen after we die. No, Paul is saying, look, Jesus didn't come down from the cross. He stays, he suffers, and he dies. He stays, he suffers, and he dies. See, this man, Jesus, that we follow, it's not a prophet. I mean, not really, ultimately. It's not why we follow him. We don't follow him because he's a teacher. We don't follow Jesus because he left a really good example for us to follow. It's not our role model, it's not why we follow Jesus. No, see, we believe and we follow a man who died and was raised from the dead. This is the man we follow. We believe this man was God, come to earth, taking on flesh, taking on our sin, confronting death, taking on death, and defeating death. Why? So that we too might live, so that we too might be resurrected after we die, that we might be resurrected to a new, eternal, abundant, and hopeful life with Jesus and with everyone who believes. That's who we believe in, a risen Savior. But as it is, Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. So Paul is, Paul is sort of turning the tables here. And so if all those things would have been true if Christ hadn't been raised from the dead and our lives would have been completely empty, can we look at those in reverse and say, well, what is true now that our lives, about our lives, now that Christ has been resurrected? This is what Paul wants us to think. So we might we might go back through those and say, because Christ has been raised, our preaching is not empty. It's not in vain. Every word ever spoken about Jesus, it lands on solid ground. It is true, and it's always been true. Starting from today, going all the way back through, all the way back to the original apostles and to the women who showed up at the tomb and bore for first witness. Number two, because Christ has been raised from the dead, your faith is not empty. It's quite full, actually. It is the most rational, well-founded thing in your life. You didn't bet on nothing. You bet on the most verified event in the ancient world. Number three, because Christ has been raised, we are not bearing false witness. We're not false witnesses. We are true witnesses. The apostles saw what they saw and they told us about it. And they went to their deaths rather than deny it. Would you die for a lie? Unlikely. People don't die for something that they know is not true. Number four or five, or wherever I am, I'm lost. These are so good. But Christ has been raised, so you're not still in your sins. Well, that's good news. You're forgiven. You are forgiven of your sins. Actually, fully, permanently forgiven. The debt that you have between you and God, that's gone. That's been dealt with. When did God deal with that on my behalf? Two thousand years ago, when Jesus walked out of the tomb. The ledger is clear. Because Christ has been raised, the dead in Christ are not gone. They are held by God. Everyone you've buried who knew Jesus, you will see them again. It's not a consolation, it's a fact. And when I die, I will see my grandma again. And we're gonna laugh about the day Jesus fell off the cross. And then finally, because Christ has been raised, we are not most to be pitied. No, instead, listen, I want you to leave here today understanding this truth. Because Christ has been raised from the dead, we are the most compelling people on the planet. Because Christ has been raised from the dead, we are the most compelling people alive. Not because we have it all together, because we don't. We know that. Not because life is easy, because we know it's really, really difficult. But because we know something that changes the entire calculus about how the entire universe works and what it means to be a human being alive on this planet. Image-bearers of God, ambassadors of God's love and grace and mercy. We know death doesn't win. That is enviable, not pitiable. We know death does not have the last say, and we know that this knowledge of the resurrection, it reshapes everything. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, and we've been given the greatest gift known to mankind. Look at verses 20 through 23. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Paul's like, hey, Jesus was raised from the dead, but he was just the first. He will not be the last. For since death came through a man, he's talking about Adam, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. He's talking about Jesus, the new Adam. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn Christ, the first fruits, then when he comes, those who belong to him. I love this. Paul calls Christ the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. We have all these euphemisms for dying, don't we buying the farm, kicking the bucket, right? All of this stuff. And here's one, falling asleep, right? Here's one that they used. Paul is saying Jesus is the first fruits of all those who have died. First fruits, it's a harvest image, right? The first fruits weren't the whole entire crop that a farmer was going to bring in. They were just the first portion brought in as a guarantee of what was coming next, right? It's like, hey, how's the harvest going to be this year? Let's let's look at the first fruits, and then I can tell you. And so Paul is saying, you want to know what life is really about? Let's look at the first fruits, and I'll tell you, death is not the end. Jesus is the first fruits. The full harvest is on the way. Christ being raised is not a private miracle. It's the beginning of a whole new world order. Jesus talked about it as the kingdom of heaven. He talked about it all of the time: the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, a new order, a new way of being, a new reign, a new kingdom over which Jesus reigns and is king. A new world is broken in. The first fruits have been raised, Paul says, and the rest of the harvest is coming, which means this. Which means if you believe this, you're not just a person who holds a different opinion about what happened at a tomb 2,000 years ago. It means, if you believe this, you are a resurrection person living inside a new kingdom order, established by God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ our King. And listen, resurrection people look different. They look different. We live on an island where real pressure exists. I may not have to name them, I'll just mention the financial weight, the relational strain, so much of that on this island. Real grief. And we live alongside a lot of people who have plenty and a lot of people who have need. And in both cases, it seems like here, hope is in real short supply. And you can hear it in conversations. I mean, you just constantly hear people complaining about their life and about other people. Your constant cynicism about what's possible or what could be here on this island. You hear constant criticism over decisions that are being made or things that people have done. And I want to tell you, resurrection people are different. Can you say that with me? Just I want to make sure you get that this morning. Resurrection people are different. This is not who we are. We live in a new kingdom that is breaking in on this island. And we represent that kingdom. And we are resurrection people. And so we live in that hope. Not because we're naive, not because we pretend that hardships aren't real, but because we know something that the cynics don't. We know that death will not win. We know that. And that knowledge produces a quality of life, a texture of hope, a willingness to love. And I know it's hard here sometimes. A willingness to give. A willingness to stay. A willingness to forgive. That is genuinely rare. That's what makes resurrection people so compelling, Corey. I feel like I'm preaching to the choir, literally. Yeah. Our preaching is true. Our faith is founded. Our witness is real. Our forgiveness is complete. Our dead are held. And what kind of person could be more compelling than a person for whom all of that is true? You know, you came in here today, maybe thinking Easter is a nice tradition. It's a good Sunday to be in church, and I agree, it's a wonderful Sunday to be in church. Paul takes it about a thousand steps further, and he says that the whole world hinges on what we're celebrating today. The whole world. Not your past, not your fear, not your grief, not your future. Nothing is the same. Because you are a resurrection person, and it's true. And you may be thinking, well, I would love for that to be true about myself. I don't know if it is. I would love for that to be true. I'd love to be this person of hope and joy and love, a resurrection person, serving King Jesus in a new kingdom right here on Nantucket. And I just want to say that you can be that person. The same apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the Corinthians, wrote a letter to the Romans, and in that letter he said this if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So are you willing to live your life according to Jesus? I mean, just think about this. Are you really willing to live your life according to Jesus? Where you get off the throne of your own life, you're now not serving King self, you're serving King Jesus. Are you willing to get off the throne and serve the King Jesus and live your life according to what he wants for your life? That's what it means for him to be Lord. Okay, great. If you're willing to do that, beautiful, great, yes. And do you believe that he died for your sin and that God raised him from the dead? That's what the apostle is saying here. He's like, Do you believe it? Not do you understand it? Because I can tell you, I don't understand it, but I believe it. Not do you feel it, but do you believe it? Do you believe? And so if your answer to those questions are yes, then I'm telling you this morning, you are no longer simply a creation of God. You are a child of God. And as a child of God, that means you're a part of the family. You've been grafted into his family. You belong. You're a part of this kingdom now. You're a part of this family. You've been resurrected to new life. Our whole passion as a church is to help people find home in a community like that, where we're growing as followers of Jesus. I want to challenge us this morning when we walk out of here, to walk out of here as resurrection people. Be the most hopeful person that you know. Be the most generous person that you know. Be the most unafraid person in every room you enter into this week. Not because you just simply decide to be these things are going to try really hard to be it, but because you allow the Holy Spirit to continue to mold you and change you and shape you, to teach you how to live as a resurrection person in a dead and dying world. If you let the Holy Spirit do that work in you, then you will become like Jesus. So that's our commission this week. And so for those of you who are not sure, you don't have to have it all figured out today. But we know we cannot leave here and not care about the things we've talked about. We can decide for it or against it, but we can't not care. The stakes are just too high. So I want to invite you as we prepare to come to the table, to come this morning as a sign of your confession. Yes, I want Jesus to be Lord. I don't know what all of that means in my life. Yes, I believe that God raised him from the dead. I don't understand that, but I'm choosing to believe. Come and let's act out our confession as we come to the Lord's table this morning. Let's all stand together.