By the end of John chapter 19, Jesus has been falsely accused, wrongly condemned, beaten, mocked,... and nailed to a tree. After hours of suffering he finally cried out “It is finished,” bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. This was no cry of resignation, but rather a cry of victory. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this final proclamation of Jesus on the cross, asking three questions: What does it mean? Why does it matter? And how should we respond?

In this Easter Sunday sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:12–23, Pastor Luke Herche preaches on the implications of the resurrection... in three points:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not raised.
If there is no resurrection of Christ, then Christianity is empty.
But in fact Christ has been raised, so we will rise with him.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

Why do you think it is hard for people to believe in resurrection? Is it harder or easier than 20, 50, or 100 years ago? Why do you think that?

Explain Paul’s chain of logic: If no resurrection, then no resurrection of Christ. And if no resurrection of Christ, then your faith is futile. Why is this so?

How does Christ’s resurrection imply the resurrection of those who belong to him?

Why is our future resurrection so important? How does the weight of the future resurrection give weight to our present, even in this passing age?

What is the relationship between your faith and your imagination? In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:35–58, Pastor Luke... Herche encourages us to strengthen our faith by feeding our imagination. Listen as Pastor Luke helps us to consider the future that God has in mind for us—and to see how that helps us to live in the present—via three points: the body will be raised, death will be defeated, and your labor is not in vain.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What are some different ways one might imagine a resurrection body? Which of those ideas are grounded in Scripture and where?

What might be the danger of not believing/confessing the resurrection of the body? How might that shape our view of the body and this present life?

What does Paul emphasize about the resurrection body? What questions are not answered by what Paul says? Can you think of other places in Scripture that might speak to that?

When has your work felt vain, fruitless, meaningless? How does our future resurrection give weight to our present labor? If you believe that, how do you think it would change the way you work? What can you do to get to that point?