“Why the Resurrection Matters”
A sermon by Pastor Dave McMurry. More about Grace Bible Church: https://begrace.org
Summary
Pastor Dave preaches a comprehensive Easter sermon on Philippians 3, exploring how the resurrection of Jesus Christ transforms everyday Christian living beyond abstract theological concepts. He begins by contrasting two pivotal Biblical figures who witnessed the resurrected Jesus: Mary Magdalene, the first witness who had been delivered from seven evil spirits and represents those too broken and hopeless to believe, and Paul of Tarsus, the last witness mentioned in Acts who represents those too successful and self-sufficient to feel they need Jesus. Mary was at the bottom of society with no rights, while Paul held elite status as a Roman citizen and Pharisee. Both were completely transformed by personally encountering the risen Lord, demonstrating that people across the entire spectrum of human experience need the resurrected Jesus.
Pastor Dave explains that Mary Magdalene had followed Jesus expecting Him to be the prophesied king who would establish heaven on earth and defeat Israel’s enemies. When Jesus was crucified, her hopes were crushed. John 20 emphasizes four times that she was weeping, showing her complete brokenheartedness and deconstruction from faith. Yet in her despair, Jesus called her by name, and she became the first witness of the resurrection. This is actually evidence for Christianity’s truth, Pastor Dave notes, since women weren’t considered valid witnesses in ancient Jewish or Roman culture – if the disciples were fabricating the story, they wouldn’t have made women the first witnesses.
Paul of Tarsus represents the opposite extreme – a man with ultimate religious and social privilege who prided himself on persecuting Christians. When Jesus appeared to him, He knocked Paul off his “high horse of pride and confidence.” Pastor Dave emphasizes that whether we’re struggling with past shame like Mary or past success like Paul, we all fall somewhere on this spectrum, often swinging between feeling terrible and feeling great, and Jesus is our only hope.
The heart of the sermon focuses on three ways resurrection power transforms daily life, drawn from Philippians 3:1-16. First, resurrection power helps us find faith (verses 1-9). Paul uses strong language against false teachers, calling them “dogs” (equivalent to calling them cockroaches in that culture), “evildoers,” and “mutilators of the flesh” because they taught that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough – people needed additional religious observances to truly know God. Paul counters by listing his impressive religious resume – circumcised on the eighth day, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, a persecutor of the church, blameless under the law – then declares it all “loss” and “rubbish” (literally “dung”) compared to knowing Christ Jesus. The point applies whether someone is plagued by past failures or proud of past successes – Jesus alone should be our confidence, not our flesh or experiences.
Second, resurrection power helps us conquer suffering (verses 10-11). Pastor Dave clarifies he doesn’t mean prosperity theology – Jesus promised “in this world you will have trouble.” The question is how we’ll respond: through indulgence and sin, through self-reliant discipline, or through trusting Jesus. Paul describes knowing “the power of his resurrection” and sharing “his sufferings” as we serve others in love, following Christ’s example from Philippians 2 of leaving heaven’s comfort to serve sacrificially. This isn’t about seeking suffering but about serving others, and as suffering inevitably comes, we experience supernatural resurrection power. Pastor Dave notes that psychology, biology, and medicine confirm humans are built to grow stronger through enduring hard things, but spiritual growth works through the supernatural power of the risen Jesus, not just natural processes.
Third, resurrection power helps us grow up spiritually (verses 12-16). Paul uses a play on words, saying he’s not “perfect/mature” yet in verse 12, then telling all who are “perfect/mature” to think this way in verse 15 – meaning spiritual maturity involves recognizing we haven’t arrived yet. Paul’s motivation isn’t earning Jesus’ love through effort, but responding because “Christ Jesus has made me his own” – Jesus took hold of us first. The daily discipline involves “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” whether that’s shame that makes us think God could never love us or success that makes us think we don’t need God. This isn’t a one-time decision but an ongoing habit of putting the past in the past and pressing forward, motivated by Jesus’ initiating love.
Pastor Dave concludes by noting that Christianity uniquely affirms both human glory and brokenness – we are “far worse than we think and far more loved than we can imagine.” He draws a parallel between Mary coming to the tomb to honor a dead hero (not believing in resurrection) and people who attend church out of tradition without believing resurrection power can change their lives. His prayer is that listeners will hear Jesus calling their names personally, just as He called to Mary, and discover that God delights in them through Jesus, who has already taken hold of them through His resurrection power.
