If Jesus Did Not Rise from the Dead, Then We Should Be at the Lake this Sunday

March 27th, 2024

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. . ., and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. . . . If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
(1 Corinthians 15:14-19)

This Sunday, churches throughout the world will celebrate and commemorate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why is Jesus’s resurrection so important?

First, Jesus’s resurrection is the basis of our gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We believe and preach that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. This is the basis for our faith and our preaching because in the resurrection God proved Jesus’ claims and that He has authority to judge the world regarding sin (Acts 17:31).

Second, Jesus’s resurrection is the basis of our hope (1 Corinthians 15:19). If Jesus was not raised from the dead, our faith is worthless, and we have only hoped in Christ in this life. If Jesus has not been raised, we have no hope of a future resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, we are wasting our time gathering in churches, not just on Easter Sunday but every Sunday. Instead, we should be out playing golf or at the lake on Sundays or enjoying some family time or whatever brings us the most earthly joy. But the Bible says that Jesus DID rise from the dead and that because he was raised, we, too, can look forward to our resurrection. “For,” Paul says, “if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).

Thirdly, Jesus’s resurrection is the basis of our conduct (1 Corinthians 15:33-34). How should we live if Christ rose from the dead? We should live a life that is pleasing to God in all respects (2 Corinthians 5:6-10). John reminds us that if we have this hope in us, we will purify ourselves (1 John 3:3). The hope of the resurrection allows us to live with a heavenly focus, living in righteousness because we don’t want to be ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28-29).

Finally, Jesus’s resurrection is the reason we gather on Sundays (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:20; Revelation 1:10). Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, Sunday – the Lord’s Day, just as Scripture records. For over 2,000 years, Christians throughout the world have been gathering every Sunday to remember Jesus’ resurrection and to sing, pray, read, see, and hear this gospel preached. This is what we believe! This is why we will gather this Easter Sunday and every other Sunday as a church until Christ returns. So, join us this Sunday and every Sunday to remember Jesus’s resurrection which is the basis of our gospel, our hope, and our conduct.

In Other News…

Men’s Conference | April 5-6
Focusing on the subject of servanthood, this year's men’s conference will look to the example of Jesus as a model for how every man is called to live and model servanthood in their lives, families, churches, and communities. This year’s speaker is Kevin Washington, Director of Player Development for the University of Texas Longhorns football program, and Director of Biblical Counseling at High Pointe Baptist Church. Different from last year, this year's conference will be a one-day conference on April 6 (continental breakfast, a full lunch, and snacks throughout provided).

An event (for men of High Pointe only) will take place at The Pitch in Austin, Texas on April 5th from 6 pm to 9 pm. Come prepared to play pickleball and hang out with fellow men of High Pointe. While pickleball is covered, each man is responsible for his own food. Please note that outside food is not allowed at The Pitch.

If you have any questions, email men@highpointeaustin.org.

To register, click HERE.

Life Classes Resume April 7
Life Classes are meant to equip High Pointe for life as a Christian. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and join us. This session, we are offering the following classes from April 7 to May 26:

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making (Livingston Room)
Desarollando Relaciones Que Agradan a Dios (East Training Room)
Kids Life Class (Overflow Room/Old Mission Room)
Membership class (Old Library) | Our Meaningful Membership Class is offered on Sunday mornings as well.

On-Call Pastor
To better care for you, High Pointe, we have an “on-call” pastor available for emergencies after office hours and on weekends. To reach the on-call pastor, call 512-837-7725, extension 1.

Preaching Schedule: Pray regularly for the ministry of the Word at High Pointe. Also, prepare for our gatherings by reading the sermon text, thinking it through, and asking questions about the text before Sunday. Here is our (tentative) preaching schedule designed to help you prepare for Sundays: