Sermon Notes 05 April 2026
SERMON NOTES 05 April 2026
Passover 2026 Sermon 6:
Firstfruits – Why Resurrection Was Always Required
PASSOVER 2026 Sermon 6:
Firstfruits – Why Resurrection Was Always Required
Pastor Ryan Perry
Good Hope Baptist Church
05 April 2026
Primary Texts
For the last several weeks, we have been walking through the story God gave His people long before Jesus was born. We’ve seen that Passover is not about God skipping His people, but about God standing between His people and judgment.
We’ve seen that salvation required a substitute, that blood had to be shed, and that God Himself chose to absorb the cost of covering.
We’ve sat at the table. We’ve listened as Jesus said, “This is my body.” “This is my blood.”
But Passover does not end at the table. And, it does not end at the cross.
Today, we come to the question the story has been moving toward all along:
Why was resurrection not optional?
I. The Problem: Death, Not Just Sin
From the beginning of Scripture, God’s problem has never been forgiveness alone. God’s problem has always been death.
Genesis 2:7 - Life begins with God’s breath.
Genesis 2:17 - Death enters through separation from God.
Death is not merely punishment. Death is separation from the source of life.
So, if God intends to save His people, forgiveness alone is not enough. Sin must be dealt with. And death must be undone.
II. From Passover to Firstfruits as a Guarantee of Life
Passover was never only about surviving judgment.
Exodus 13:14- God told Israel that the story must continue beyond the night of death.
Leviticus 23:10 - Firstfruits immediately follows Passover—movement from rescue to life.
Leviticus 23:10–11 - The first sheaf offered as a declaration of the coming harvest. Before the full harvest. Before the fields were gathered. Before the work was finished…
The firstfruits were not the end. They were the guarantee. When the firstfruits were lifted, Israel was declaring: “What God has begun, God will complete.”
Passover said, “We were spared.” Firstfruits said, “We will live.”
III. Resurrection Promised -- and Required!
Psalms 16:10; Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 6:2 - David understood this. Isaiah proclaimed it. Hosea pointed to it.
Resurrection is not a New Testament idea. It is the logical outcome of covenant faithfulness.
Exodus 3:6 - God introduces Himself this way
Luke 20:38 - Jesus draws the conclusion.
If God remains God to those who have died, then death cannot be the end. Resurrection is required if God keeps covenant.
The cross answers guilt – Resurrection answers corruption – The cross removes condemnation – Resurrection restores creation.
1 Corinthians 15:17 - Without resurrection: Sin may be forgiven, but death still reigns, Love may sacrifice, but evil still wins, God may pardon, but creation remains broken.
Resurrection is God’s verdict on death itself.
IV. Jesus the Christ as Firstfruits
The cross deals with guilt. The resurrection deals with death.
Luke 24:1–3 - Jesus did not rise randomly. He rose on the Feast of Firstfruits.
1 Corinthians 15:20 - Firstfruits is not the full harvest and not the end of the story, but it IS the certainty of what is coming.
V. God’s Path to Salvation and Restoration
Scripture presents salvation as an ordered work of God, unfolding in stages.
At the cross, sin is judged. At the resurrection, death is defeated. At Pentecost, life is applied from within. And at Christ’s return, restoration is completed.
1 Corinthians 15:23–26 - The resurrection is not the beginning of salvation. It is the decisive turning point.
Ezekiel 36:27 - Without the Spirit, salvation would remain external – announced but not inhabited. That is why Pentecost is necessary.
Notice what God does not say. He does not say, “I will force you.” He does not say, “I will bypass you.” He says, “I will put my Spirit within you.”
Pentecost is where God addresses the human will from the inside. The Spirit does not replace the will. The Spirit restores it.
Philippians 2:13 - Before the Spirit, God’s commands stood outside us. After the Spirit, God’s life lives within us.
God works in the will, not against it. Obedience does not disappear. It becomes possible. Faith and obedience were never opposites. They have always been the same response to God’s provision.
At Passover, trusting God meant placing blood where He said it belonged. That trust was obedience. God did not evaluate intent. He looked for the blood.
At the cross, trusting Christ means placing ourselves under the blood God has provided. That trust is obedience. God still does not evaluate effort. He looks for the covering.
The resurrection guarantees that death has been broken.
Pentecost guarantees that this life can now be lived.
1 Corinthians 15:25–26 - Christ’s return guarantees that what has begun will be finished. Resurrection does not finish restoration. It makes restoration inevitable.
The gospel is not a single event. It is a divine sequence. And every step addresses what humanity lost: the cross answers guilt, the resurrection answers death, the Spirit answers inability, the kingdom answers exile.
This is why the story could not end at the tomb.
And this is why Passover always pointed beyond the night.
The cross forgives, the resurrection conquers, the Spirit restores the will, and the kingdom completes the story.
Romans 8:19–21 - Creation is not longing to be discarded. Creation is longing to be resurrected.
God’s goal has always been a redeemed people in a renewed creation dwelling permanently with Him.
Passover begins with blood on wood, but it ends with life from the grave. The lamb dies and the people live. Christ dies and death itself is undone.
Resurrection is God’s final answer to Egypt, exile, sin, and the grave.
Resurrection is not merely something that happened to Jesus. It is the future God has promised to those covered by the blood.
Invitation
We do not hope for escape. We hope for restoration.
John 14:19 - “Because I live, you also will live.”
Passover was not the end of the story. The table was not the end of the story. The cross was not the end of the story.
Firstfruits tells us that what God has begun, God will finish.
Some of us live as though death still has the final word. The resurrection says it does not. If you are under the blood, you are promised life.
Today, we do not celebrate survival. We celebrate resurrection.
Christ is risen!
And because He lives, so shall we.
Firstfruits – Why Resurrection Was Always Required
Pastor Ryan Perry
Good Hope Baptist Church
05 April 2026
Primary Texts
- Genesis 2:7, 17
- Exodus 13:14–15
Redemption of the firstborn tied to God’s deliverance. - Leviticus 23:9–14
The offering of firstfruits before the Lord. - Psalms 16:9–11
“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol… you make known to me the path of life.” - Isaiah 25:6–9
The feast of victory and the swallowing up of death. - Hosea 6:1–2
“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up.” - Luke 24:1–12
The resurrection of Jesus. - 1 Corinthians 15:20–26
“Christ has been raised… the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” - Romans 8:18–23
Creation groaning and awaiting redemption.
For the last several weeks, we have been walking through the story God gave His people long before Jesus was born. We’ve seen that Passover is not about God skipping His people, but about God standing between His people and judgment.
We’ve seen that salvation required a substitute, that blood had to be shed, and that God Himself chose to absorb the cost of covering.
We’ve sat at the table. We’ve listened as Jesus said, “This is my body.” “This is my blood.”
But Passover does not end at the table. And, it does not end at the cross.
Today, we come to the question the story has been moving toward all along:
Why was resurrection not optional?
I. The Problem: Death, Not Just Sin
From the beginning of Scripture, God’s problem has never been forgiveness alone. God’s problem has always been death.
Genesis 2:7 - Life begins with God’s breath.
Genesis 2:17 - Death enters through separation from God.
Death is not merely punishment. Death is separation from the source of life.
So, if God intends to save His people, forgiveness alone is not enough. Sin must be dealt with. And death must be undone.
II. From Passover to Firstfruits as a Guarantee of Life
Passover was never only about surviving judgment.
Exodus 13:14- God told Israel that the story must continue beyond the night of death.
Leviticus 23:10 - Firstfruits immediately follows Passover—movement from rescue to life.
Leviticus 23:10–11 - The first sheaf offered as a declaration of the coming harvest. Before the full harvest. Before the fields were gathered. Before the work was finished…
The firstfruits were not the end. They were the guarantee. When the firstfruits were lifted, Israel was declaring: “What God has begun, God will complete.”
Passover said, “We were spared.” Firstfruits said, “We will live.”
III. Resurrection Promised -- and Required!
Psalms 16:10; Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 6:2 - David understood this. Isaiah proclaimed it. Hosea pointed to it.
Resurrection is not a New Testament idea. It is the logical outcome of covenant faithfulness.
Exodus 3:6 - God introduces Himself this way
Luke 20:38 - Jesus draws the conclusion.
If God remains God to those who have died, then death cannot be the end. Resurrection is required if God keeps covenant.
The cross answers guilt – Resurrection answers corruption – The cross removes condemnation – Resurrection restores creation.
1 Corinthians 15:17 - Without resurrection: Sin may be forgiven, but death still reigns, Love may sacrifice, but evil still wins, God may pardon, but creation remains broken.
Resurrection is God’s verdict on death itself.
IV. Jesus the Christ as Firstfruits
The cross deals with guilt. The resurrection deals with death.
Luke 24:1–3 - Jesus did not rise randomly. He rose on the Feast of Firstfruits.
1 Corinthians 15:20 - Firstfruits is not the full harvest and not the end of the story, but it IS the certainty of what is coming.
V. God’s Path to Salvation and Restoration
Scripture presents salvation as an ordered work of God, unfolding in stages.
At the cross, sin is judged. At the resurrection, death is defeated. At Pentecost, life is applied from within. And at Christ’s return, restoration is completed.
1 Corinthians 15:23–26 - The resurrection is not the beginning of salvation. It is the decisive turning point.
Ezekiel 36:27 - Without the Spirit, salvation would remain external – announced but not inhabited. That is why Pentecost is necessary.
Notice what God does not say. He does not say, “I will force you.” He does not say, “I will bypass you.” He says, “I will put my Spirit within you.”
Pentecost is where God addresses the human will from the inside. The Spirit does not replace the will. The Spirit restores it.
Philippians 2:13 - Before the Spirit, God’s commands stood outside us. After the Spirit, God’s life lives within us.
God works in the will, not against it. Obedience does not disappear. It becomes possible. Faith and obedience were never opposites. They have always been the same response to God’s provision.
At Passover, trusting God meant placing blood where He said it belonged. That trust was obedience. God did not evaluate intent. He looked for the blood.
At the cross, trusting Christ means placing ourselves under the blood God has provided. That trust is obedience. God still does not evaluate effort. He looks for the covering.
The resurrection guarantees that death has been broken.
Pentecost guarantees that this life can now be lived.
1 Corinthians 15:25–26 - Christ’s return guarantees that what has begun will be finished. Resurrection does not finish restoration. It makes restoration inevitable.
The gospel is not a single event. It is a divine sequence. And every step addresses what humanity lost: the cross answers guilt, the resurrection answers death, the Spirit answers inability, the kingdom answers exile.
This is why the story could not end at the tomb.
And this is why Passover always pointed beyond the night.
The cross forgives, the resurrection conquers, the Spirit restores the will, and the kingdom completes the story.
Romans 8:19–21 - Creation is not longing to be discarded. Creation is longing to be resurrected.
God’s goal has always been a redeemed people in a renewed creation dwelling permanently with Him.
Passover begins with blood on wood, but it ends with life from the grave. The lamb dies and the people live. Christ dies and death itself is undone.
Resurrection is God’s final answer to Egypt, exile, sin, and the grave.
Resurrection is not merely something that happened to Jesus. It is the future God has promised to those covered by the blood.
Invitation
We do not hope for escape. We hope for restoration.
John 14:19 - “Because I live, you also will live.”
Passover was not the end of the story. The table was not the end of the story. The cross was not the end of the story.
Firstfruits tells us that what God has begun, God will finish.
Some of us live as though death still has the final word. The resurrection says it does not. If you are under the blood, you are promised life.
Today, we do not celebrate survival. We celebrate resurrection.
Christ is risen!
And because He lives, so shall we.
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