“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

“We are an Easter people.” I’m not sure when I first heard that expression, but it was probably when I was in high school. 

Being “an Easter people” means that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the defining aspect of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The events that transpired at the end of Holy Week aren’t somewhere on the periphery of our faith; they’re right there at the centre.

But what is the significance of the resurrection?

Of the many life-changing things that could be said, today let me highlight three details. 

First, the resurrection is Jesus’ victory over sin, death and evil. Perhaps that’s obvious.

Second, it has to do with our own victory over sin, death and evil as his people. We get to eternally share in the accomplishment of our Lord and Friend.

Third—and this is the detail that is often missed—it also has to do with a larger and more global victory over sin, death and evil.

The resurrection is a key moment in the larger narrative arc of human history. Everything is working together toward a larger victory. What happened to Jesus is a foretaste of what will happen everywhere.

One of the implications of this is that we know the end of the story! The resurrection is a guarantee of what is to come.

On the surface it may seem as if fear, violence, anxiety, darkness, and uncertainty are winning, but they’re not. One day they will be fully and finally trampled, and the light of Christ will shine everywhere.

Max Lucado says: “Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”*

So true! This gives us hope. This gives us confidence. And this gives us new life for the living of difficult days.

We are an Easter people. One day, the victory of Christ will expand over the entire earth. Until then, just remember: “Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”

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Notes:

–Ministry Announcement: I’m looking for one (or three) individuals to help expand the online reach of ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan’ and ‘The Up Daily Devotional.’ Click here to learn more in the one-page explanation.

-“The fight’s been fixed” Click here. Sermon.

-*Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear (Nashville: ThomasNelson, 2009), 160.

-Bible quotes are from the ESV.