Easter 2026 || The End Was Not The End || Carlos Velez || April 5, 2026

You know, before we start, I was

thinking uh this morning I was thinking

about just kind of different words that

you associate with Easter, right? Um I I

was just thinking and some of them have

changed throughout the years, right?

Like so if you're older, you might be

thinking to yourself like how about

Easter bonnet? Anyone remember Easter

bonnets? Yeah, they kind of faded away.

I was going to wear one today, but it

didn't match my outfit.

Easter bonnets or or maybe if you're

younger like Easter bunny.

Like I I love going to the mall now that

my kids are grown up

and seeing parents take their kids

screaming and crying to get a picture

with the Easter. It's great. I love

that. And then there's Easter baskets or

or Easter eggs and and you have

different kinds of candies in those in

those Easter baskets. Right. I do have a

question though.

Why is it that Reese's

only makes the chocolate peanut butter

egg during this? They should be all year

round. It should be It should be all

year round. And then also like the jelly

beans. Like

don't come at me with the jelly belly

stuff. Brock's jelly beans, right? Like

some of you want to say amen. It's okay.

You can say amen to them. Brock's butt.

But but but but

there's nothing more disappointing

than accidentally

biting into a licorice flavored jelly.

That's the worst. It's the worst. Right.

It's the worst.

What What What are some other words?

What are some other words for some

church, right? Church you can associate

with Easter or or maybe tomb or maybe

angels.

Well, today we're going to actually talk

about

the most important word that you can

associate with Easter.

Today we're going to talk about the

resurrection.

We're going to talk about the

resurrection.

Easter is not Easter without the

resurrection.

You see, the resurrection

is the very claim at the center of

Christianity.

The resurrection isn't meant to be

symbolic.

It isn't meant to be a metaphor.

It's the claim that Jesus actually

lived. That he was fully man and fully

God. He actually lived a life and that

he actually died. Not that he was in a

coma, but that his heart stopped

beating. He died. And then he was put in

a tomb.

And then on the third day,

that heart started to thump again.

Started to thump.

And Jesus

rose from the dead, alive, and eternally

victorious.

The resurrection

is the claim that Jesus is alive.

And if the resurrection is true, then

that changes everything. Because if the

resurrection is true, Jesus is who he

said he was. And he did what he said he

would do.

You see, when Jesus died on the cross,

his disciples, his friends, everyone

thought that his story had ended.

They thought that his story was done.

You see, the big idea for today, the big

idea for today's sermon is this.

Because Jesus is alive,

the end became the beginning.

Because Jesus is alive, the end became

the beginning. Let's unpack that a

little bit. We're going to turn to the

book of Luke. We're going to look at

Luke chapter 24. If you don't have a

Luke 24 · chapter mention

Bible with you, you can uh use one of

the Bibles we have here uh at Calvary.

If you don't own one, take it home. It's

our gift to you. We believe that the

Bible is filled with life-changing

truth, and we want you to have access to

that. So turn to page 7:22 if you're

looking at a church Bible. Otherwise,

turn to Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24 · chapter mention

starting at verse 1.

On the first day of the week, very early

in the morning, the women took the

spices they had prepared and went to the

tomb. They found the stone rolled away

from the tomb,

but when they entered, they did not find

the body of the Lord Jesus.

Here's the first thing we need to learn

about the resurrection. The first thing

we need to learn about the resurrection

is this.

They weren't expecting it to happen.

There was no one outside of the tomb

that day with a sign saying, "You did

it.

Welcome back." They didn't have lawn

chairs outside of the tomb just kind of

waiting, looking at their watches,

waiting for it to roll away, the stone

away roll away and him to walk out. No.

When they approached the tomb, they came

expecting death.

They came expecting death.

You see, the story of the resurrection

does not start

with this dynamic faith. It actually

starts with honest grief.

It starts with honest grief.

They approach the tomb and they're

carrying spices. And the reason they're

carrying spices is because they're going

to prepare the body, imbalm the body as

it's going to be continue to just lay to

rest in a tomb.

From their perspective,

the story was over.

It was over.

What we need to understand about that

is that Easter

is not about wishful thinking.

Easter

is about a reality in the resurrection

that breaks into a moment when death

seemed final.

And that's huge.

That's huge. Let me show you why. Let's

keep going.

Starting at verse four.

While they were wondering about this,

suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed

like lightning stood beside them. In

their fright, the women bowed down with

their faces to the ground. But the men

said to them, "Why do you look for the

living among the dead?

He is not here. He has risen.

Remember,

remember how he told you while he was

still with you in Galilee, the Son of

Man must be delivered over to the hands

of sinners, be crucified, and on the

third day be raised again.

Then they remembered his words.

See, the next thing we need to learn

about the resurrection is this.

Jesus said it

and then he did it.

Jesus said it and then he did it.

What do they say? Why do you look for

the living among the dead? And then they

said, "Remember,

remember what he said."

And then they remembered his words and

everything changed.

The resurrection is not just a miracle.

It's a fulfilled promise.

Jesus didn't just rise. He kept his

word.

He kept his word.

The word of Jesus went through the

ultimate test. It went through the test

of death.

And Jesus kept his word through that

test.

And what he says is true.

You see, the resurrection does not call

us to blind optimism.

It doesn't call us to pretending that

everything is okay.

The resurrection confronts us

and it asks us if we will believe that

Jesus is telling the truth.

Because if Jesus is telling the truth

and if Jesus is alive, there is no room

for neutrality.

You either trust Jesus or you don't

trust Jesus.

Jesus said it

and then he did it.

He fulfilled his word.

He kept his word.

Let's keep going on in verse nine.

When they came back from the tomb, they

told all these things to the levan and

to all the others. It was Mary

Magdalene,

Joanna,

Mary the mother of James, and the others

with them who told this to the apostles.

But they did not believe the women

because their words seemed to them like

nonsense.

Peter, however, got up and ran to the

tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of

linen lying by themselves.

And he went away wondering to himself

what had happened.

See, what we need to understand is that

the resurrection confronted unbelief.

It confronted unbelief.

What happens when the women go to tell

the disciples? What happens when they go

to tell them the news?

What did they do? Did they go and say

amen?

We knew it.

Oh, they didn't do that. You know what

they did?

They did what I usually do when my wife

comes into the room and starts telling

me something. Nonsense.

She's on that side. I'm going to keep

looking at all of you here.

They said it's nonsense.

is impossible.

The news of the resurrection didn't make

sense.

But then there's Peter.

What does Peter do?

Peter hears this news

and something inside of him,

something inside of him begins to wake.

Something inside of him begins to stir.

Something like hope,

something like

a possibility,

a longing.

He doesn't have it all figured out, but

what does he do? He gets up and he runs.

He runs.

I wonder how many of us are like Peter,

which is not certain,

not quite settled,

but at the point

that we're unable to ignore the

possibility.

Unable to ignore the possibility.

Because if Jesus is alive, everything

changes.

Everything changes.

Sometimes faith does not begin with

certainty.

Sometimes it begins when you can no

longer ignore the possibility.

When you can no longer ignore the

possibility.

And so what happens? Peter runs and he

gets to the empty tomb. And what does he

do?

He leaves marveling, wondering, not

fully understanding, but unable to

ignore what is happening.

Sometimes the resurrection doesn't

remove all your questions,

but it confronts you with something you

can't ignore.

And what the resurrection confronts us

that we can't ignore is this. The claim

that Jesus has defeated death.

Jesus has defeated death.

The empty tomb is not just proof that

Jesus is alive. It is proof that death

has been overthrown.

If we were to go to another part of the

Bible, if we were to go to the book of

First Corinthians

in chapter 15 verse 55, we would hear

this. The author writes and he says,

"Where, O death is your victory? Where,

O death is your sting? The sting of

death is sin and the power of sin is the

law. But thanks be to God.

He gives us the victory through our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Gives us the victory through our Lord

Jesus Christ.

When the author wrote those words in

First Corinthians, he wasn't being

theoretical. He was taunting death. He

was taunting death.

You see, on the cross, Jesus dealt with

sin, but in the resurrection, he defeats

death.

That means that death no longer has the

final word. Death no longer has the

final word. It no longer has the final

word over your story.

Jesus does.

The empty tomb points to a greater

reality

because Jesus passed through death and

overcame it. Death met Jesus

and lost

and lost.

Death met Jesus and lost.

Jesus has authority over death.

And if he has authority over death, he

has authority over everything. He has

authority over everything.

And because of that, because of that,

the end was not the end.

The end was not the end. The end was the

beginning. The end was the beginning.

Because what we need to understand is

this. The resurrection begins a new

reality.

The resurrection begins a new reality

again. Because Jesus rose, what looked

like the end became a beginning. Not

just for him, but for us. For us.

The resurrection is not simply the

continuation of a story. It is the start

of an entirely new reality.

It is the beginning of fulfilled

promises where everything that Jesus

said is proven true.

It is the beginning of the fact that

death is defeated. That the grave no

longer has the final word.

It is the beginning of a living hope.

Of a living hope.

Not wishful thinking. Not wishful

thinking. something that is alive and

secure.

Again, if we would go in the Bible, if

we would read in 1 Peter chapter 1,

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

verse three, it says, "Praise be to the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his great mercy has given us new

birth into a living hope through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the

dead.

Hope is not a feeling we have to try to

hold on to.

Hope is a person who walked out of the

grave.

Hope is a person who walked out of the

grave.

That changes everything.

In Luke chapter 24, we see different

Luke 24 · chapter mention

responses

to the revealing of that hope to the

resurrection.

Some

are witnesses and they believe

like the women they run proclaiming to

whoever can listen.

Some are uncertain

like the disciples

unsure and thinking it just sounds like

nonsense. not sure what to believe.

And some have something stirring. They

don't have it figured out, but they

begin to run

towards the truth because they can't

ignore the possibility.

I tend to think that that describes some

of us in here as well.

Some of us have heard the gospel, the

good news of Jesus, and we receive it

and we believe it.

So go and tell everyone and anyone.

Spread the news.

Some of us are unsure.

It just sounds

impossible.

And then some of us, something is

stirring.

We're not certain yet.

But we can't ignore the possibility.

What we need to understand is that the

question is not how do you feel.

The question is what will you do with

the risen Jesus?

What will you do with the risen Jesus?

You see, if the resurrection is true,

then Jesus is not just part of history.

He is Lord. He is Lord.

He died for our sin. He rose in victory.

And he calls people to trust him.

The resurrection is not just something

to believe. It is someone to trust.

It is someone to trust.

See, in Luke 24,

a bold claim is made.

A bold claim that Jesus was crucified.

He was buried

and he was dead.

But then the stone rolled away

and the heartbeat started to thump

again.

and he rose

alive and victorious.

What looked like the end

was not the end.

It was the beginning. It was the

beginning.

It was the beginning of a restored

relationship with God. The beginning of

freedom from sin.

The beginning of a new life that starts

now. and lasts forever.

The resurrection doesn't just give you a

hope for someday.

It gives you a starting point

for a new life. Now,

so what do you do with that?

What do you do with that?

You see the invitation of Easter is

simple.

Come as you are.

Trust Jesus. Receive what he has done.

That's the invitation of Easter. That's

the invitation of the resurrection. Come

as you are. Trust Jesus. Receive what he

has done.

Come as you are. You don't have to clean

yourself up. You don't have to get

yourself to a certain point. You don't

have to get yourself to what you think

other people's standards are. Jesus

desires you to come as you are

and trust him.

Trust him and receive what he has done.

Through the resurrection, Jesus invites

you into his story and into his hope.

You know, maybe today

you wouldn't call yourself a Christian.

Maybe today you're unsure of what you

believe. Maybe today you have doubts or

or even a complicated history with

church. And maybe even church has hurt

you at some point.

And if that is you, uh, I apologize for

that. And if I'm the one who hurt you, I

apologize for that as well.

But you need to understand that we're

just a bunch of broken, messed up

people.

But we serve a perfect God

who loves you more than you can possibly

imagine.

So I ask you just for a moment not to

look at broken people like myself, but

to look to the perfect one who did

everything to claim you back for

himself.

You see, if the resurrection is true

and Jesus is alive,

then this is not just a story to admire.

It's an invitation to accept.

Jesus did for us what we could not do

for ourselves. He entered into our

brokenness. He carried our sin. He faced

death in our place and rose again so

that we could be forgiven.

Brought back to God and given new life.

The question is, how will you respond to

the risen Jesus? How will you respond to

his invitation?

If you're at the point where you're just

like, "Well, I want

I want to trust Jesus. I want to receive

what he has done." What does that even

look like? Just tell him.

Just tell him.

In a moment, we're going to pray and you

can just tell them. You can say

something like, "Jesus, I believe you

are alive. I know I need your

forgiveness. I turn from running my life

on my own and I place my trust in you.

Forgive me, make me new, and lead me

from this day forward.

If you are trying to write down those

words,

don't worry about it.

It's not about the words. It's not about

magic words.

It's not about how you pray. It's about

the one whom you're praying to.

Do you trust him?

If you're ready to trust him, just tell

him. Just tell him right now where

you're at. Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you

for what the resurrection means and

brings to our life.

We thank you

for keeping your word

even when death was the obstacle to your

keeping that word.

We thank you for loving us so much that

you died a brutal death for us.

And we thank you for being so powerful

that death could not hold you back.

And Lord, if there's anyone here

who needs to respond to that invitation

to come as they are, just as they are,

to trust Jesus and receive what you have

done, I ask you that you would allow

them to just tell you,

to just tell you, to just trust you.

And Lord, if there's anyone in here

who's already made that choice and is

following you and is a disciple of you,

Lord, I ask you to make the truth of the

resurrection just

so wonderful in their lives.

Let it cause them to be overflowing with

joy. Let it cause them to have a passion

to tell anyone

the good news, the gospel.

Lord, I pray over all of these people,

over the people upstairs, over the

people watching online.

Do a mighty work in our hearts

and help us to just keep you focused and

centered.

We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.