Forever Undefeated: The Power of Resurrection in Your Life

What makes Easter Sunday so special? What sets Christians apart? It's the resurrection: The historical event that changes everything.

The Resurrection: What If It Never Happened?

In 1 Corinthians 15:14-20, Paul poses a challenging question about the resurrection. He wants Christians to think about what the resurrection really means by considering what our faith would look like if it never happened.

Paul gives us six profound implications if the resurrection never occurred:

1. Our preaching would be useless and completely worthless.
2. We would be false witnesses, literally lying to people.
3. Our faith would be futile. We'd be wasting our time when we pray.
4. We'd be stuck in our sins, never able to escape our worst mistakes.
5. Those believers who have died would be lost forever.
6. We should be pitied and people should feel sorry for us.

But then Paul makes the most powerful statement: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." This changes everything!

Because the resurrection is true, we can flip each of those statements:

• Our preaching is powerful. What we say about Christ has impact.
• We are true witnesses, speaking truth, not just "my truth."
• Our faith is functional.  Our prayers are heard and heaven moves.
• We're no longer bound to our sins.  We can leave our past behind.
• We will see our believing loved ones again and celebrate together for eternity.
• We're not to be pitied but envied.  We have something worth envying, and it's open to all!

The Resurrection Finds Us in Our Brokenness

Are you feeling broken today? You're not alone. Mary Magdalene was broken-hearted that first Easter morning. She went to tend to Jesus' body but found the tomb empty. The Bible says, "Mary stood outside the tomb weeping."

Even though she had faith, she was worried. Something very personal to her had been broken, and her heart was aching. But Jesus sought her out in her resurrected form. The beautiful part? She didn't recognize Him at first. Maybe you're weeping about something in your life that will make you whole, but you just don't recognize that Jesus is right there next to you.

I love how Jesus reached her - He simply called her name: "Mary." She may not have recognized His face, but she knew His voice. The resurrection is seeking us in our brokenness today, bringing peace and healing to your broken places.

The Resurrection Finds Us in Our Fear

Are you struggling with fear or anxiety in some area of your life? The disciples, the very ones closest to Jesus, were hiding behind locked doors after the crucifixion. They knew the plan, they knew Jesus had told them He would rise on the third day, but they were still gripped by fear.

Maybe you've received a diagnosis, or there's something in your family, friends, or marriage that you can't control and don't understand. Maybe instead of sleeping peacefully at night, you're tossing and turning, worrying about that same problem over and over again.

The good news is that Jesus isn't worried about locked doors. The Bible tells us, "Jesus entered and stood among them and said, 'Peace to you.'" Then He showed them His hands and side to prove it was really Him. The disciples were exuberant! Jesus had to repeat His greeting of peace because they were so freaked out.

The resurrection is looking for you in your fear, ready to speak peace to your anxious heart.

The Resurrection Finds Us in Our Doubt

Thomas wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to the disciples. He missed the most important gathering in history! When the disciples told him what happened, he didn't believe it. That's why he's known as "Doubting Thomas" throughout history.

But here's what I love about Jesus. He came back for Thomas. Jesus cares about your doubts. Your doubts don't disqualify you; as a matter of fact, they qualify you for a special visitation. Jesus is in pursuit of you and your doubts.

Jesus told Thomas, "You want to touch my side? Touch my side. You want to touch the scars? Touch the scars." Jesus may not answer all your questions exactly how you want, but He will show you what He looks like, and He is enough.

The resurrection finds us in our brokenness, in our fear, and in our doubts.

Forever Undefeated: What Jesus Conquered

Jesus' death was a strategic move. He knew mankind would never have the opportunity to be reconnected with God unless He became a man, lived the life we could not live, and took the punishment we deserved upon Himself.

When Jesus resurrected, He conquered sin, death, separation, and hell:

• He defeated sin: 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He became sin so we could become righteousness."
• He defeated death: 1 Corinthians 15:55 tells us He conquered death to the degree that He only needed Joseph of Arimathea's tomb for three days!
• He defeated separation: Matthew 27:51 says that when Jesus died, the veil in the temple, which represented the separation between common and holy, tore from top to bottom. Jesus forever removed the separation between man and God.

The resurrection isn't just about Jesus getting out of the tomb. He rolled the stone away to invite us to investigate how empty it is and what resurrection life really looks like.

Undefeated Champions vs. The Ultimate Victor

When we talk about being undefeated, only a few professional sports teams have ever truly achieved this status:

• The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only undefeated NFL team.
• The 2008 Patriots almost did it (18-0) but lost in the Super Bowl.
• Rocky Marciano retired 49-0 as a professional boxer.
• The 2013 Florida State Seminoles, my favorite undefeated team.

I was at the Rose Bowl with my wife Amy when Jameis Winston threw that winning touchdown to Kelvin Benjamin. I celebrated an earthly undefeated team with incredible enthusiasm.

But how much more should we celebrate our God, who is undefeated not just in a season but at every level? Jesus is undefeated forever! He defeated sin, death, sickness, cancer, every enemy, and every demon. Our King is undefeated!

Reigning With The Undefeated King

The Bible tells us in Luke 1:33, "Of his kingdom there will be no end." Jesus came to establish a kingdom that would never end; not just a season, but eternity. And amazingly, we get to reign with Him. The Bible says we will be co-heirs with Christ. He didn't just win a battle; He won the war!

Isaiah 6:1 says, "I saw the Lord. He was high and exalted and seated on a throne, and the train of his robe filled the temple." Kings in battle used to have a robe, and when they would win a victory over another king, they would take that king's robe and tie it to the back of their own. One robe attached meant victory over a kingdom.

But when Isaiah sees the Lord, the train of His robe filled the entire temple! This means Jesus defeated every foe. The Bible says that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Experiencing Resurrection Power Today

Eternal life doesn't begin when you die, it begins when you believe. Today is a day for you to believe that His resurrection power has found you in your brokenness, your fear, and your doubt, and it has brought new life to you.

What does the Lord say to you today?

• Rise from your guilt - stop letting the enemy attach you to your past
• Rise from your fear
• Rise from your addiction

You're not just forgiven; you're invited into a brand new life. Jesus is undefeated, which means we are undefeated through Him. Because of Him, we have:

• Brand new life
• Brand new marriages
• Brand new businesses
• Brand new dreams
• Brand new authority
• Brand new power
• Brand new boldness
• Brand new forgiveness

This is a day to leave what belongs in the past in the past and walk away from it. God is breaking that off of you today so you can walk in peace instead of fear.  The resurrection power that conquered sin, death, and the grave is available to you today.

He is risen. He is undefeated. And through Him, so are you.