Finding Hope When Life Is Hard

“On the Third Day”: Easter and the Finished Work of Christ

Scripture References

Primary text

• 1 Peter 1:3
• Romans 3
• Revelation 1:18

Other references

• 1 Peter 3:18
• Exodus 12
• Hebrews 10

Overview

Easter is not a feel-good holiday; it is the day God proved that Jesus gets the final word. Because “on the third day” the tomb was empty, our past is not final, our pain is not permanent, and new birth into a living hope is available to anyone who believes. Pastor Craig walked through the crucifixion, the descent to the dead, the resurrection, and the present reign of Christ to show why the Creed—and Easter itself—changes everything for us personally.

Main Points

Why Easter? A living hope (1 Peter 1:3)

• God’s great mercy offers “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
• Question to hold all service: “Why are you here today?”—tradition, guilt, or because Jesus has really changed you?

Why did Jesus have to die?

• God is holy; every person has sinned and falls short (Romans 3).
• Old-covenant sacrifices covered sin temporarily; Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the permanent sacrifice.
  • Illustration: Exodus 12 Passover blood on the top and sides of the door—an Old-Testament foreshadowing of the cross.
• Isaiah foretold a suffering servant pierced, crushed, and wounded for our healing.
  • The cross was Rome’s cruelest tool: stripped naked, stakes through wrists and heels, victims suffocating inches above ground.
  • Jesus didn’t just die for us; He suffered instead of us.

“He descended to the dead”

• Two Greek terms for the realm of the dead: Hades (temporary) and Gehenna (eternal).
• Jesus went to Hades, not to suffer but to proclaim victory (1 Peter 3:18).

“I am the living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:18)

• Whatever the exact audience in Hades, the result is certain: Jesus now holds the keys—death no longer rules.

On the third day: the completeness of God’s plan

• Biblical numerology: three signifies wholeness and completion.
  • Trinity: Father, Son, Spirit.
  • Jonah in the fish, Jesus in the grave—three days.
  • Jesus’ ministry lasted three years; at 3 p.m. He declared, “It is finished.”
• Day 1: no visible hope; Day 2: silent waiting; Day 3: stone rolled away, mission complete.
  • Application: When God seems silent, He is not absent—He is working while you’re waiting.

Seated at the right hand—and coming again

• After offering one sacrifice “good for all time,” Jesus sat down (Hebrews 10).
• Sitting signals finished work and supreme authority—greater even than Caesar.
• Today He intercedes for believers; one day He will rise, the trumpet will sound, and He will judge the living and the dead.

Key Truths

• Jesus suffered and died instead of us, not merely for us.
• His resurrection provides a living hope and an imperishable inheritance.
• Because Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades, the believer’s story is never over.
• God often works in the silence of “Day 2”; apparent delay is not divine absence.
• Christ’s finished work means forgiveness is a gift, not a reward for good behavior.

Response

• Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus for forgiveness and new life.
• Trust God’s presence in your “waiting day”—keep praying and believing.
• Celebrate baptism as a public declaration of faith.
• Worship with confidence: Jesus is alive and interceding for you right now.
• Share the hope of the resurrection with someone who feels their story is finished.

Closing

Easter settles every question of worth, forgiveness, and future. Because the stone was rolled away “on the third day,” your past no longer defines you and your pain will not have the last word.

“Because the tomb is empty, Jesus gets the final word.”

Prayer

Father, thank You that when we draw near, You draw near. For every person waiting in a “Day 2,” reveal Your presence, supply Your power, and heal by the stripes of Jesus. For those who turned from sin today, overwhelm them with assurance that their sins are forgiven and their lives made new through the risen Christ. Amen.