Well, by a long shot, Easter is my favorite holiday of the year, and on Sunday, we celebrate

that by His resurrection, Jesus Christ decisively ended the terrible reign of heartbreak and

sin in this world.

There is freedom for those of us who trust in Him.

And for those believers, Easter is also a promise that Christ will break us free from the

trappings of mediocrity in this world.

This is a point John Piper developed in the following excerpt from his 2001 Easter

sermon on 1 Corinthians 15 verses 12 to 20.

Here's what he said.

I'm banking everything in the rest of the sermon on the fact that there's something

in every one of you that has tasted moments where you've said, I don't want to be like

the run of the mill, living for myself, making a name for myself, making lots of money,

just shrinking into a little nuclear family with a nice TV or a big sound system with big

screens and a lot of games.

He who dies with the most toys wins.

You know, in your best moments, it isn't so.

So here's my question, Paul lived such a life of cutting edge, sacrificial, risk-taking,

perilous love.

And I want to know how he did it.

Let me just acquaint you for a moment with Paul's life.

Verse 30 in the same chapter, Paul says, I'm in peril every hour, think of it, in peril

every hour.

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