Resurrection: The Key to Everything (Easter Countdown 2)

This Sunday millions of people will be sitting in churches across the world listen to a sermon about Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Many of those people have heard it so many times before that they don’t even care any more; tradition has dulled its impact.  Even among unchurched people, they know that Jesus lived, died, and that we Christians celebrate His resurrection.  They too, don’t care.

I think that church leaders and pastors miss a golden opportunity regarding Easter in not communicating its relevance.  We think we have done our job when we tell people what happened (i.e., Jesus died.  Jesus rose) and mourn or celebrate accordingly.  And that’s how most services will be conducted this Sunday; the preacher will only tell people what happen.  Consequently, thousands of people will leave those services unchanged.  It’s like they are saying, “Yep, I know.  So what?”

It’s not enough that we tell people what happened.  We must tell them why it matters!

Let me illustrate.  Sometimes when I am driving in traffic I listen to the radio.  I hear all the traffic reports coming in from the other side of Pensacola.  Those traffic reports are of no interest to me because I’m on this side of town, so all I hear is “blah, blah, blah, blah.”  But when the weather report comes on, I tune in like a laser.  Why?  Because the same weather pattern on the other side of town affects me on this side of town.  It piques my interest because I care about what impacts me.

Most people who walk through our church doors this Sunday have a filter like that.  Either they will be hearing the same old, “blah, blah, blah, blah” or either they are going to tune in like a laser.  Yea, you can go get all spiritual on me and remind me that God’s Word will not return void, (and I actually believe that), but the truth is 98% of the people who visit on Easter will not be back the following Sunday… unless we explain why the resurrection matters and how it affects them.

This Sunday my message is “Resurrection: The Key to Everything.”  Yes, I will tell that old, old story again, hopefully in a fresh and insightful way.  More importantly, I will share five reasons why it matters and what it means to you.  This will be a golden opportunity for you to invite and brings your friends or family members to service with you.  This message will bridge the gap between what people already know and what they care about.

You can’t ignore the claims of a dead man walking.