April 5th, 2026
Easter 2026
The Biggest Losers
1 Corinthians 15
Pastor Ray-Ann Dela Fuente
April 5, 2026
Memory Verse:
“If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.”
1 Corinthians 15:19 CEV
Introduction:
Welcome to the River of Faith! Today is Easter Sunday and we are so glad that you are here with us!
When was the last time you've experienced winning? It could be as simple as a game you joined for fun, or something that felt like winning that happened to you recently. How did that make you feel? Now when was the last time you lost? It could be the same as something that felt like losing?
Main Pointers:
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”
1 Corinthians 15:17-20 NLT
1. You can either be a winner or a loser in faith that you choose.
A. Yes the argument is that everyone is claiming that their religion is the right one. But if you examine closely and compare the claims of the Christian faith nothing will even come close.
B. The Bible dares us to think how important the claims of Christianity are. If Christ is not risen then we are the biggest losers on the planet period! It's win or go home. There's nothing in between or to be safe. It's either it's true or everything is a lie. Think about it? What religion in the world would dare you think that way?
C. “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 NLT
2. Only Jesus defeated the unbeatable.
“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-57 NLT
A. The greatest mystery of resurrection is in its promise of eternity. Death is nothing but separation. It's a separation of body to the spirit and soul. In Christ there is a promise of transformation where the physical will be replaced by the immortal.
B. The reason for death is sin and because all of us have sinned we will all experience death but Jesus did what no other man have ever done. He defeated sin and death once and for all!
C. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NLT
3. In Christ we are more than winners, we are conquerors.
“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 6-7 NLT
A. We can talk about evidence and first- hand witnesses but some will still question and doubt, but the result of the resurrection remains undeniable.We become conquerors in Christ.
B. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:35-37 ESV
Conclusion:
Easter is about Jesus winning so we don’t live in defeat anymore. It's the story that changed history forever. Jesus defeated what no man can ever defeat. Sin & Death! All of us can never defeat sin and death but we don't have to. Jesus did and God rose Him again to prove it! It's either we're the biggest losers or are we? No! Overwhelming victory is ours through Jesus Christ!
The Biggest Losers
1 Corinthians 15
Pastor Ray-Ann Dela Fuente
April 5, 2026
Memory Verse:
“If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.”
1 Corinthians 15:19 CEV
Introduction:
Welcome to the River of Faith! Today is Easter Sunday and we are so glad that you are here with us!
When was the last time you've experienced winning? It could be as simple as a game you joined for fun, or something that felt like winning that happened to you recently. How did that make you feel? Now when was the last time you lost? It could be the same as something that felt like losing?
Main Pointers:
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”
1 Corinthians 15:17-20 NLT
1. You can either be a winner or a loser in faith that you choose.
A. Yes the argument is that everyone is claiming that their religion is the right one. But if you examine closely and compare the claims of the Christian faith nothing will even come close.
B. The Bible dares us to think how important the claims of Christianity are. If Christ is not risen then we are the biggest losers on the planet period! It's win or go home. There's nothing in between or to be safe. It's either it's true or everything is a lie. Think about it? What religion in the world would dare you think that way?
C. “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 NLT
2. Only Jesus defeated the unbeatable.
“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-57 NLT
A. The greatest mystery of resurrection is in its promise of eternity. Death is nothing but separation. It's a separation of body to the spirit and soul. In Christ there is a promise of transformation where the physical will be replaced by the immortal.
B. The reason for death is sin and because all of us have sinned we will all experience death but Jesus did what no other man have ever done. He defeated sin and death once and for all!
C. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NLT
3. In Christ we are more than winners, we are conquerors.
“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 6-7 NLT
A. We can talk about evidence and first- hand witnesses but some will still question and doubt, but the result of the resurrection remains undeniable.We become conquerors in Christ.
B. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:35-37 ESV
Conclusion:
Easter is about Jesus winning so we don’t live in defeat anymore. It's the story that changed history forever. Jesus defeated what no man can ever defeat. Sin & Death! All of us can never defeat sin and death but we don't have to. Jesus did and God rose Him again to prove it! It's either we're the biggest losers or are we? No! Overwhelming victory is ours through Jesus Christ!
Recent
Archive
2026
January
March
2025
February
March
June
July
August
September
October
November
Categories
no categories
No Comments