How to Know That I Know | Easter Sunday | 04.05.26

·36 min·3 clips

Sam shares how his kids hid his wallet on April Fool's Day, then declares Easter is a holy day because Jesus literally rose from the grave.

The episode is an Easter Sunday sermon by Sam, the host of Riverside Peoria, focused on moving from intellectual belief to transformative faith in Jesus's resurrection. Sam opens with personal anecdotes, including his children hiding his wallet and his wedding day suit mishap, to connect with listeners. He emphasizes that the resurrection is a literal, historical event, citing 1 Corinthians 15:14 to state that Christianity collapses if it didn't happen. Sam then poses the central question: how to know one truly believes in the resurrection beyond facts. He shares his testimony from age 19, where a friend used Matthew 7:21-23 to show he relied on good deeds rather than Jesus as savior. Sam explains that acknowledging need for Jesus is the first step, illustrated by the Sermon on the Mount's 'poor in spirit'. Next, he discusses having power over sin through Jesus, using Romans 6:12-15 and a coin analogy where looking at Jesus covers sin, leading to repentance. Sam then addresses living without fear of death, referencing Jesus's wounds as proof of victory over death and sharing scriptures from 1 Peter, Philippians, and Colossians about eternal hope. He details the three tenses of salvation: justification (past sins forgiven), sanctification (present power over sin), and glorification (future freedom from sin's presence). Sam concludes by inviting listeners to respond if they doubt their faith, stressing that resurrection means sin is forgiven, lives can change, and futures are secure. The sermon ends with a call to the altar and prayer.

As heard by us

A Resurrection Sunday sermon makes repentance concrete: stop facing sin and turn back toward Jesus.

Resurrection Sunday gives Sam's sermon a clean center of gravity: faith has to become something known, not just something claimed. He starts in the room itself, with choir energy, Easter plans, an egg hunt, and a joke about cold ham, then turns toward repentance as a full change…

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Why you'd press play

If Easter leaves you wondering whether you know that you know, this gives the question somewhere to go.

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