From Candy to Kingdom Power: How the Resurrection Changes Everything

Easter Sunday at Courageous Church brought a powerful reminder that resurrection isn't just about floral dresses and chocolate eggs. Pastor Dave delivered a passionate message about how the empty tomb fundamentally changes everything in our lives—not just for a Sunday, but potentially for the entire year ahead.

Growing up without a faith background, Pastor Dave shared how Easter had once meant only candy and time off school. It wasn't until his late teens that a friend invited him to "Resurrection Sunday" that he first encountered the radical claim at the heart of Christianity: Jesus literally rose from the dead.

This extraordinary claim deserves extraordinary evidence, and Pastor Dave highlighted several compelling historical facts that support the resurrection. From the certainty of Jesus's actual death on the cross (no historical records exist of anyone surviving crucifixion) to the early, eyewitness accounts of the empty tomb, the resurrection stands as one of history's most well-documented events. As he noted, if we dismiss this evidence, we'd need to throw out "95% of what we believe about human history."

But what does a 2,000-year-old empty tomb mean for us today? Pastor Dave outlined three transformative implications:

First, the resurrection validates everything Jesus ever said. In an age of influencers and social media personalities, we follow those with credibility—and rising from the dead gives Jesus unparalleled credibility. If He kept His word about resurrection, we can trust Him with our finances, health, children, and careers.

Second, the resurrection offers defiant hope when life knocks us down. Using the analogy of boxer Tyson Fury unexpectedly rising after being knocked down by Deontay Wilder, Pastor Dave emphasized that "when it looks like it's over, it's never over" for those who know the resurrection power of Jesus.

Third, believers have access to the same supernatural power that raised Christ from the dead. This isn't a watered-down, comfortable Christianity but rather one infused with "incomparably great power" (Ephesians 1) to see miracles, healing, and restoration.

Perhaps most poignantly, Pastor Dave challenged the congregation about why we don't experience more of this resurrection reality in everyday life. His answer? "We look for the right things in the wrong places." Using Charleston as an example—a dream city with surprisingly high turnover rates—he noted how people chase dreams, adventures, and escapes on social media while the empty tomb screams, "It's here!"

"Your soul is not looking for something," he concluded. "It's looking for someone."

The service ended with an invitation for Easter to be more than just a good Sunday. Through upcoming sermon series "All Things New" and interactive "You Asked For It," Courageous Church is providing opportunities to keep the resurrection journey going all year long.

This Easter message reminds us that candy eggs and family meals are wonderful traditions, but they pale in comparison to the life-changing power available when we truly grasp what happened when Jesus walked out of that tomb. The resurrection isn't just history—it's an invitation to encounter the risen Christ who can transform every aspect of our lives, starting today.