“Because He lives, we can live also.”
Text:
Isaiah 53:5 – “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
1 Corinthians 15:57 – “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 28:6 – “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.”
Introduction
My friends, Easter is not about religion.
It is not about ceremony.
It is not about tradition, and it is certainly not about a holiday outfit, a family meal, or a sentimental song.
Easter is about a battle.
It is about the greatest conflict in human history.
A conflict between life and death.
Between holiness and sin.
Between heaven and hell.
Between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.
And at the center of that battle stands a bloody cross…
and then an empty tomb.
The world saw a bleeding man.
Heaven saw a conquering King.
The devil thought Calvary was a defeat.
But Calvary was not a defeat — it was a bloody win.
I. THE CROSS WAS BLOODY BECAUSE SIN IS SERIOUS
The modern world laughs at sin.
It excuses sin.
It renames sin.
It dresses sin up in psychology, culture, and sophistication.
But the Bible does not play games with sin.
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Not some.
Not the worst only.
All.
You may be educated, moral, respectable, successful, admired — and still be lost without Christ.
The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”
That is why the cross was not neat.
It was not clean.
It was not polished.
It was bloody.
Because sin is not a minor flaw.
Sin is rebellion against a holy God.
Every lie.
Every lust.
Every hidden addiction.
Every act of pride.
Every bitter word.
Every secret compromise.
Every selfish ambition.
Every refusal to bow to God.
All of it carries a price.
And that price is death.
Hebrews 9:22 says, “…without shedding of blood is no remission.”
You cannot talk about Easter without blood.
You cannot talk about forgiveness without sacrifice.
You cannot talk about resurrection unless you first deal with the cross.
There are people who want the empty tomb without the bloody hill.
They want celebration without repentance.
They want hope without surrender.
They want heaven without a crucified Savior.
But there is no resurrection Sunday without Good Friday.
II. JESUS DID NOT DIE AS A MARTYR — HE DIED AS A SUBSTITUTE
Now hear this clearly:
Jesus was not merely an example of love.
He was not merely a victim of political hatred.
He was not merely a misunderstood prophet.
He was the Lamb of God.
John 1:29 says, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
When Jesus went to the cross, He was not dying for His own sins — He had none.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says,
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Do you understand what happened at Calvary?
He took your place.
The nails should have been yours.
The judgment should have been yours.
The wrath should have been yours.
The separation should have been yours.
But Jesus stepped in and said, in effect:
“Put it on Me.”
That is the gospel.
Isaiah 53:6 says,
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Your sin was laid on Him.
Your shame was laid on Him.
Your guilt was laid on Him.
Your hell was laid on Him.
And He bled under the weight of it.
That is why I call it the bloody win.
Because the blood of Jesus was not wasted blood.
It was redeeming blood.
It was atoning blood.
It was cleansing blood.
1 Peter 1:18–19 says,
“…ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold… But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
There is power in that blood.
Power to forgive.
Power to cleanse.
Power to break chains.
Power to save the worst sinner in this room.
You may say, “Preacher, you don’t know what I’ve done.”
No, but God does.
And still He sent His Son.
III. WHEN JESUS SAID “IT IS FINISHED,” HELL HEARD ITS DEFEAT
There are three words in John 19:30 that shook eternity:
“It is finished.”
That was not the cry of a victim.
That was not the whisper of a dying reformer.
That was not resignation.
That was victory.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant:
- the debt was paid,
- the sacrifice was accepted,
- the curse was broken,
- and the way to God was opened.
The devil had bruised His heel —
but Christ was crushing the serpent’s head just as God promised in Genesis 3:15.
At the cross:
- justice was satisfied,
- mercy was released,
- sin was judged,
- and Satan was disarmed.
Colossians 2:14–15 says,
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us… nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Do you see it?
The cross looked like shame, but it was actually triumph.
It looked like weakness, but it was actually power.
It looked like loss, but it was actually the bloody win.
Some of you are fighting things right now:
- fear,
- addiction,
- lust,
- depression,
- guilt,
- bitterness,
- despair,
- death itself.
And I’ve come to tell you:
the victory you need was purchased in blood.
IV. BUT IF THE STORY ENDED AT THE CROSS, WE WOULD STILL BE WITHOUT HOPE
Now listen carefully:
If Jesus only died, He would be remembered.
But because He rose, He reigns.
The cross paid the price.
The resurrection proved the payment cleared.
On Friday, He was crucified.
On Saturday, He was buried.
But early — and I mean early — on Sunday morning,
death lost its grip.
Matthew 28:5–6 says,
“Fear not ye… He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.”
That is the difference between Jesus and every other religious leader in history.
You can visit the tombs of kings, prophets, philosophers, generals, and founders of religion.
But when you come to Jesus, the angel says:
“He is not here.”
Why?
Because the grave could not hold Him.
Acts 2:24 says,
“Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”
Not possible!
Death had never met a man like this.
The grave had never swallowed holiness before.
Hell had never tried to imprison the Author of life.
And when Jesus rose from the dead, He declared forever:
- sin can be forgiven,
- death can be defeated,
- the grave is not the end,
- and eternal life is available to all who believe.
Romans 4:25 says He was “delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
The resurrection means this:
what happened on the cross worked.
V. THE RESURRECTION IS NOT JUST HISTORY — IT IS YOUR HOPE
Now Easter is not merely something that happened then.
It is about what God can do now.
Because Jesus rose, dead things can live again.
A dead marriage can live again.
A dead conscience can live again.
A dead prayer life can live again.
A dead soul can live again.
Some of you are breathing, but spiritually you are dead.
You go to work.
You smile at people.
You scroll.
You laugh.
You function.
But inwardly, there is emptiness.
No peace.
No assurance.
No certainty.
No living relationship with God.
And Jesus said in John 11:25,
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
That is not religious poetry.
That is divine truth.
Jesus did not come merely to improve your life.
He came to raise you from death.
Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that can transform a human heart.
You do not need a self-help plan.
You need a Savior.
You do not need spiritual cosmetics.
You need resurrection.
You do not need to become “a little better.”
You need to be born again.
Jesus said in John 3:3,
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
VI. THE BLOODY WIN BECOMES YOUR WIN ONLY IF YOU RECEIVE CHRIST
Now this is where many people miss it.
They admire Jesus.
They respect Easter.
They believe in God in a vague way.
But they have never personally surrendered to Christ.
And listen carefully:
It is not enough that Jesus died.
It is not enough that Jesus rose.
You must receive what He did for you.
Romans 10:9 says,
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Not “you might be.”
Not “you could be.”
You shall be saved.
That means:
- forgiven,
- cleansed,
- adopted,
- justified,
- born again,
- made ready for heaven.
John 1:12 says,
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…”
Have you received Him?
Not your church attendance.
Not your baptism alone.
Not your family tradition.
Not your good works.
Him.
There are many people sitting in churches every Easter who are close to religion and far from God.
You can know the hymns and still not know Christ.
You can quote Scripture and still not be surrendered.
You can celebrate the resurrection and still be spiritually dead.
But tonight — today — right now — that can change.
VII. BECAUSE HE LIVES, FEAR DOES NOT GET THE FINAL WORD
The resurrection answers the deepest fears of the human heart.
1. Fear of guilt
Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…”
2. Fear of tomorrow
Because He lives, your future is not in the hands of chance.
It is in the hands of a risen Christ.
3. Fear of death
1 Corinthians 15:54–57 says,
“Death is swallowed up in victory… O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? … thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The believer does not face death alone.
The believer does not face the grave hopelessly.
For the child of God, the cemetery is not the end of the road — it is a waiting room for resurrection glory.
Why?
Because He lives.
And because He lives:
- your sins can be forgiven,
- your chains can be broken,
- your heart can be changed,
- your future can be secure,
- and your eternity can be settled.
That is the bloody win.
Invitation / Altar Call
Now I want to ask you a very personal question.
If you were to die today,
are you absolutely sure you would go to heaven?
Not “I hope so.”
Not “I think so.”
Not “I’ve tried.”
Do you know Christ?
Has there been a moment in your life when you repented of your sin and placed your faith in the crucified and risen Son of God?
Because if not, then this message is for you.
The cross was for you.
The blood was for you.
The empty tomb was for you.
The invitation is for you.
Jesus said in John 6:37,
“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
That means if you come to Him,
He will not reject you.
He will not turn you away.
He will receive you.
No matter what you have done.
No matter how far you have fallen.
No matter how long you have run.
Come to the cross.
Come to the empty tomb.
Come to Jesus.
Prayer of Salvation
If you want to receive Christ, pray this from your heart:
“Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner.
I know I cannot save myself.
I believe You died on the cross for my sins.
I believe You shed Your blood for me.
I believe You rose again from the dead.
I turn from my sin now.
I open my heart and receive You as my Lord and Savior.
Forgive me.
Cleanse me.
Change me.
Give me eternal life.
Thank You for the cross.
Thank You for the resurrection.
Thank You for the victory.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.”
Closing
If you prayed that prayer and meant it, on the authority of the Word of God — not my opinion, but the authority of Scripture — you can stand on this promise:
2 Corinthians 5:17 –
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
And this Easter, you can say with confidence:
The cross was bloody.
The tomb was empty.
Death was beaten.
Jesus is alive.
And by the grace of God — the win is mine.
That’s the bloody win.
I’m Yours Truly
Andrew A Lloyds Adeleke
You can contact me
