We have spent a weekend contemplating the ‘What if’ question as we reflected on Christ’s sacrifice for us on Good Friday. And we celebrated that He is risen on Easter Sunday. But, so what? What does life look like for you after Easter? How do you live in the light of this momentous event? How does it change our lives? It’s now a week later so does everything go back to normal? Do we go back to living our regular everyday lives? The temptation is to treat Easter like it’s an ending, like a spiritual highlight of the year. The eggs have all been found, Jesus is risen, you went to church, and now it’s back to “normal life.” But nothing was normal after Jesus. It stirred a revolution and brough significant change to the world. So, the question to ask is, ‘What difference does the resurrection make to my life today?

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-35

Preacher: Jim de Witte

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What if Jesus didn’t really conquer the grave would you still be a Christian? If archaeologists in Jerusalem discovered the body of Jesus of Nazareth, would you remain a follower of Christ? Would you keep living for Jesus because of His compassionate example, His inspirational teaching, His noble moral standards? Or would you abandon any pretence of following in His footsteps? If Jesus had not risen from the dead, I would not be a Christian because that would make Jesus a false prophet. Paul explained the dire consequences of such a scenario and the effect it would have on every believer. Our Christian faith would be worthless. There would be no pardon for sin. We would have no hope after death. But, we can rejoice that Christ has been raised and our faith is valid, the Bible is true, our sins are forgiven, and our hope of resurrection is secure.

Preacher: Jim De Witte

Passage: Matthew 28:1-15

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What if Christ had not died on the cross? Then there would be no atonement for our sins. We would still be headed for eternal damnation. All the little pleasures on earth would only be a momentary distraction from certain and ultimate doom for every member of the human race. Yet, the writers of the New Testament answer this question by stating clearly why Jesus had to die on the cross. Scripture says that all of us sent Him to the cross. He died because of us. The apostle Peter declared that “Christ died for sins, once for all” (1 Peter 3:18). The apostle Paul observed that “Christ died for our sins, according to Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Scripture Reading: Mark 15:21-39

Preacher: Pastor Jim de Witte

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