Three weeks after Easter, pastor Josh White stood behind the pulpit at Grace Bible Church of Phoenix and asked a question that many of us feel but rarely voice: Now what? Jesus has risen. The tomb is empty. We celebrate the resurrection. But then Sunday ends, the week begins, and we’re left wondering what difference it all makes on Monday morning.
Pastor Josh anchored the message in 1 Peter 2:24 — a verse that follows the famous “living stones” passage and connects Easter directly to everyday life. The answer to “now what?” isn’t complicated. It’s one word: righteousness.
Dead to Sin, Alive to Righteousness
Peter writes that Christ “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” The word “die” here doesn’t mean simply ceasing to exist. It means to depart from, to be absent from. We’re called to turn away from what leads to death — separation from God — and instead walk in step with what leads to life.
But notice the connection: Jesus’s wounds are our healing. His death produces life in us. Righteousness isn’t something we manufacture through willpower. It’s what happens when we remain connected to Christ, the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.
We Have a New Nature — and a New Mission
First Peter 2:24 gives us two things: a new nature and a new mission. We’ve been healed by His wounds, made new, credited with Christ’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17). But we’re also called to something.
Pastor Josh turned to 1 John 3:14–17 for the practical outworking. John writes that we’ve “passed out of death into life” — and the evidence of that is love. Not talk. Love.
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
— 1 John 3:17–18
When we become aware of needs — physical, emotional, spiritual — and do nothing, something is wrong with our picture of God. The church exists so that the love of God can flow through us to meet the needs around us.
The Church Exists for Good Works
Paul reinforces this in Titus 3:8: believers “may be careful to devote themselves to good works.” And in Galatians 6:9–10: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Pastor Josh challenged the congregation with this: grace Bible Church of Phoenix exists so that we can be the conduit through which God spreads His love and grace. That’s not just a tagline — it’s the mission Jesus gave His church.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”
— 1 Peter 2:24
Why We Exist
The congregational meeting that followed the service wasn’t coincidental. Peter makes clear: the local church is the context where righteousness gets lived out.AWANA, senior luncheons, prayer breakfasts, Vacation Bible School — all of these are expressions of the same mission. We come together not for our own comfort, but to be devoted to one another and to the good works God has prepared for us.
Whether it’s 62% of AWANA kids who don’t attend this church, or families facing financial crisis, or neighbors who need to see Jesus — there will never be a shortage of opportunities. The question isn’t whether needs exist. The question is whether we’ll recognize them and step in.
Today, as we take communion, we’re reminded that Jesus willingly gave His body so that we could be healed. That’s the same love that calls us to lay down our lives for one another — not someday, but this week, in the ordinary moments of life.
Scripture References
- 1 Peter 2:21–25 — Christ’s example and the purpose of His wounds
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — New creation in Christ
- Titus 3:5–8 — Mercy, regeneration, and good works
- 1 John 3:14–18 — Evidence of passing from death to life
- Galatians 6:9–10 — Do not grow weary in doing good
- Titus 3:14 — Devote ourselves to good works