The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth…is it REAL to you? It happened just as surely as the life of Jesus on this earth happened. It happened just as surely as all of the other verifiable historical facts that have been written down throughout the ages happened. This historical, verifiable fact of the raising of our Savior from the grave should make us all stop…and ponder the quality of our own Christianity.

Is it REAL to you? Because of His resurrection, is God REAL to you? Is the Bible and what it says about sin REAL to you? Is sin itself REAL to you? If God exists, and He most certainly does, then we are obligated, as the children of His creation, to obey Him in all things. The things which we must obey are given to us in the pages of His divine Word.

If God is real to you, and if sin is real to you, and if the Bible is real to you, then is eternal punishment ALSO real to you? There are only two fates which await anyone who has ever lived. If the Bible is real to you, then you MUST believe what it says about sin and punishment. If you’re lost in your sins, then you…will…be…punished. Is sin REAL to you? Is punishment REAL to you? If they are, then you must know that that punishment is eternal in nature. It will be a torment of the worst kind, and it will last for eternity!

Is eternity REAL to you? If it is, then you can also know that there is a way for you to spend that eternity in the bliss of heavenly reward, rather than in the torment of the punishment of hell. Is heaven and that reward REAL to you? If it is, why would you not do everything in your power to obtain it? “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” Mark 8, verses 36 through 38, the Words of Jesus.

If all these things are real to you, what would you be willing to give…in exchange for your soul? Would you be willing to give your belief? If you will believe in the Son of God, you will gain your soul! Would you give up your sins? If you would repent of your sins and turn from a sinful way of life, you will gain your soul. Would you give a confession? If you would confess the Name of Jesus before men, you will gain your soul. Would you be willing to give humility and obedience? If you will humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and be obedient to the command to be baptized for the remission of your sins, you will gain your soul. Indeed, these things must be given by you, if you will gain your eternal soul.

Is the Gospel of Christ REAL to you? Is salvation from sins REAL to you? Is being added to the church for which Jesus died REAL to you? Truly, Christianity is not a religion for those who only wish to have an intellectual faith. The religion of Christ is only for those who will take these and make…them…REAL! And we must make this reality a strong and vibrant part of our everyday life! When a person becomes a Christian, that person leaves behind the ways of a life which can only result in sin and eternal punishment. Paul said in Romans, chapter 6, verses 3 and 4, the following Words: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Is the death of Jesus REAL to you? If it is, then you understand as a Christian that you were baptized into that death. Is the resurrection of Jesus REAL to you? If it is, then you understand that you were raised up with Jesus Himself in a figure of His resurrection, and that because of this, you were raised to walk in newness of life.

If you are a Christian who has fallen back into the life of the world, I submit to you tonight that Jesus and His resurrection are no longer real to you, and we pray that you would this very moment answer for yourself a very important question: “Is my new life in Christ REAL to me?”

For all of you who are here this evening, we ask that question: Is it REAL to you? We pray that you might take all of these things and make them real, make them all a part of your life—make them more than just an intellectual exercise. God is REAL! Jesus is REAL! The Bible is REAL! Sin, death, punishment, eternity, heavenly reward, salvation from sins, the new life in Christ—ALL of these things are REAL! If you would make these things a real part of your life, we ask you this evening to come.

If you’re subject to the invitation of our Lord and Savior, the One Whose resurrection gives us all that hope of eternal life and the most wonderful things to come, we ask you, “Won’t you come right now while we stand and sing?”