There are moments in history that divide everything into before and after. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the defining moment of all human history – the hinge on which everything turns. It changed relationship, understanding, purpose, and community. It still does.
I preached this sermon at Memorial Baptist Church in Parkston, South Dakota. I want to walk through what changed on that third day – and why it changes everything for us today.
1. What Changed?
a. Relationship – Luke 24:33-43
The first thing the resurrection changed was relationship. The disciples had scattered. Peter had denied Him. They were hiding behind locked doors, crushed by grief and shame. Then Jesus appeared – not as a ghost, not as a vision, but in a real body. He showed them His hands and His feet. He ate fish in front of them. The relationship was not over. It was transformed.
This is the heart of the gospel. The resurrection is not primarily a doctrine – it is a reunion. The risen Christ came back to the very people who had failed Him, and He came in peace. That tells us something profound about who God is and how He relates to broken, fearful, failing people like us.
b. Understanding – Luke 24:44-45 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
The resurrection also changed understanding. Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures – that everything written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled. Suddenly the whole Old Testament snapped into focus.
The third day was not random. It was the pattern woven through Scripture from the beginning. Consider the foreshadowing:
- Isaac was spared on the third day – a father offering his son, only for death to be turned back (Genesis 22:1-14).
- King Hezekiah was healed on the third day and given fifteen more years of life (2 Kings 20:5).
- Jonah spent three days in the belly of the great fish before being released to fulfill his mission (Jonah 1:17).
- Pharaoh’s cupbearer was restored to life and favor on the third day (Genesis 40:20-21).
- Queen Esther, with her people under sentence of death, entered the king’s presence on the third day, found favor, and brought her nation from death into life (Esther 5:1).
- Hosea prophesied: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence” (Hosea 6:1-2).
God had been telling this story for thousands of years. The resurrection on the third day was not a surprise to heaven – it was the fulfillment of a promise repeated across centuries. Paul confirms in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. This is the gospel. It is grounded in history and rooted in the whole of God’s Word.
c. Purpose – Luke 24:46-48
The resurrection changed purpose. Jesus told them plainly: repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. And then He said it: “You are witnesses of these things.”
That commission did not end with the eleven in that room. It extends to every person who has encountered the risen Christ. You are a witness. The story you carry – how Jesus changed your life, how the gospel met you in your sin and failure – that is testimony the world needs to hear. The resurrection gives us not just hope but a mission.
d. Community – Luke 24:49-53
Finally, the resurrection changed community. Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father – the Holy Spirit. And then He blessed them and ascended. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Notice what the resurrection produced: not isolated individuals quietly believing in private, but a community gathered together, worshiping together, waiting together. The church was born out of the resurrection. It is the community of those who have been encountered by the risen Christ and are now living as witnesses together.
2. What Is the Result?
The result of the resurrection is everything. Because Christ rose, the grave has no final claim on those who trust in Him. Because He rose, every promise in Scripture stands. Because He rose, our purpose is clear and our mission is urgent. Because He rose, we are not alone – we belong to a community of witnesses stretching back two thousand years and forward to the day He returns.
The moment that changed everything changed it for good. Death was defeated. Sin was atoned for. The relationship between God and man – broken in the garden – was restored at the empty tomb. And the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now lives in every believer.
That is the gospel. That is the moment that changed everything. And it can change everything for you too.
If this message stirred something in you, I invite you to explore more on the Teachings page or reach out directly – I would love to connect.