He Appeared to 500...Now What?

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 1 IMAGINE CHURCH USA NOW WHAT? SERIES · WEEK 3 OF 6

HE APPEARED TO 500 Now What? — Week 3

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 / Acts 1:15–26 (ESV) · April 26, 2026

BIG IDEA — REPEAT THROUGHOUT “You were not meant to carry this alone. Find your people and stay together.”

OPENING HOOK [ Walk up. Let the room settle. Start with a question. ] Let me ask you something. Have you ever had a God moment — something supernatural happened — and you tried to tell somebody about it — and they looked at you like you were crazy? You saw God move. You felt His presence.

You know what happened was real. But nobody around you got it. Nobody in your circle understood it. And after a while — you started to wonder — Did I imagine that? Was that really God? Am I the only one who saw this?

The disciples knew that feeling. After the resurrection — after the ascension — they were sitting in that upper room. 120 people. Hiding. Waiting. And the whole world outside that room thought Jesus was dead.

The religious leaders said it was a hoax. The Romans said it never happened. And the disciples were sitting there going — “We KNOW what we saw. We KNOW He’s alive.” And then Paul gives us a detail in 1 Corinthians 15 that changes everything.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 2 He appeared to MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE AT ONE TIME. 500 witnesses. Not 12.

Not 120. Five hundred. And Paul says — most of them are still alive. Go ask them yourself. Here’s what that means for you today.

You are not the only one who saw it. You are not alone in this. “You were not meant to carry this alone. Find your people and stay together.”

THE TEXT [ Read slowly. Let every word land. ] 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1–8 (ESV) “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

ACTS 1:15–16 (ESV) “In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ‘Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled…’” [ Look up. Pause. ] Don’t miss what’s happening here. Peter stands up. In a room of 120 people. Waiting.

Uncertain. And instead of hiding — he leads. Instead of isolating — he gathers. Instead of running — he organizes. Because Peter understood something we need to understand today.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 3 What God is about to do — He’s going to do through community.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 4 POINT 1 The Resurrection Was Witnessed, Not Whispered. [ Direct. Build fast. ] Paul writes to the church in Corinth and he gives them the receipts. He doesn’t just say “trust me — Jesus rose.”

He says — He appeared to Peter. To the twelve. To James. To all the apostles. And then he drops this line — 1 CORINTHIANS 15:6 (ESV) “He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive…” And then he says — most of whom are still alive.

You know what Paul is doing there? He’s saying — don’t take my word for it. Go ask them. Five hundred living witnesses. Five hundred people who can look you in the eye and say — “I was there. I saw Him.

He was alive. He was real.” [ Lean in. This is the courtroom moment. Slow down. ] Now somebody in this room is sitting there going — “Pastor, that’s beautiful.

That’s a Bible verse. But I need more than that.” I hear you. Let me give you more than that. Because hear me — The resurrection of Jesus is not just IN the Bible.

The resurrection of Jesus is in HISTORY. [ Build. ] About 60 years after the cross — a Jewish historian named Josephus — Not a Christian. Never converted. Worked for the Romans. Picks up his pen and writes about Jesus.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 5 He says — Jesus was a wise man. He did wonderful works. He was condemned by Pilate to a cross. And then he writes these words — JOSEPHUS · ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS 18.3.3 · AD 93 “He appeared to them alive again on the third day…”

A Jew. A non-believer. A Roman-paid historian. Wrote. It. Down.

That’s not the Bible. That’s the receipt. [ Don’t slow down. Build. ] Then — about 80 years after the cross — A Roman senator named Tacitus — one of the greatest historians Rome ever produced — He HATED Christians. He called Christianity a “mischievous superstition.” But even he had to write these words — TACITUS · ANNALS 15.44 · AD 116 “Christus suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of Pontius Pilate…”

A Roman. Who hated Christians. Confirmed the cross. Confirmed the governor. Confirmed the movement.

That’s not the Bible. That’s the receipt. [ Keep building. ] Now go to the Jewish Talmud — the religious writings of the men who rejected Jesus. The men whose ancestors handed Him over to be crucified. Even THEIR own writings say —

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 6 BABYLONIAN TALMUD · SANHEDRIN 43A “On the eve of Passover, Yeshu was hanged…” His own enemies put it in their books.

That’s not the Bible. That’s the receipt. “His enemies couldn’t deny He existed. They could only deny who He was.”

[ Pause. Then turn it up. ] But church — hear me — it doesn’t stop with the books. In 1961 — archaeologists were digging through the dirt in Caesarea — And they found a stone. With three words carved into it in Latin — “Pontius. Pilatus. Prefect of Judea.”

For centuries skeptics said Pilate was a Christian invention. The dirt said — no he wasn’t. In 1990 — construction workers in Jerusalem broke through the roof of an ancient tomb. And inside they found a bone box. Inscribed in Aramaic — “Joseph. Son of Caiaphas.”

The bones of the high priest who handed Jesus over to be killed. A 60-year-old man. Right where the gospels said he’d be. [ Slow. Drop the hammer. ] Now don’t miss this.

Caiaphas — the man who killed Jesus — they found his bones in a box. And Jesus — the man Caiaphas killed — they couldn’t find Him in the tomb. [ Pause. Let it land. ] “One man stayed dead. The other one didn’t.”

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 7 [ Voice up. Build to peak. ] And then in 1968 — archaeologists in Jerusalem dug up the heel bone of a young man from the first century — With a four-and-a-half-inch iron nail — still driven through it. For years skeptics said — “Romans didn’t crucify people the way the Bible describes.” The dirt said — yes. they. did.

History agrees with the Gospel. Archaeology agrees with the Gospel. Even the enemies of Jesus agree with the Gospel. “Hostile witnesses. Roman senators.

Jewish rabbis. Bones. Stones. Dirt. They ALL tell the same story.”

[ Bring it home. Lock in. ] And here’s the kicker — the part nobody talks about. Paul writes 1 Corinthians around AD 53. But this creed he’s quoting in our text right now — “Christ died… He was buried… He was raised…

He appeared…” Scholars — even atheist scholars — date this creed to within FIVE YEARS of the cross. Five years. Not five hundred. Not fifty. This is not a legend that grew over centuries.

This is testimony that exploded within months. While the witnesses were still alive. While the tomb was still empty. While the city of Jerusalem could have walked twelve minutes and produced the body — if they had the body. But they couldn’t.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 8 Because the body wasn’t there. Because Jesus wasn’t there. Because Jesus is HERE. [ Pause.

Hold it. ] The resurrection is not a feeling. It’s not a metaphor. It’s not a nice story. The resurrection is a documented, witnessed, verified historical event. Five hundred people saw the same thing. Five hundred people had the same encounter.

Five hundred people were changed by the same risen Jesus. And so did you. And so did the person sitting next to you. “The resurrection was not a private experience. It was a shared encounter.”

PREACHING MOMENT Some of you have been treating your faith like a secret. You haven’t told anybody what God has done in your life. And the enemy loves that. Because a testimony shared is a weapon. A testimony kept private is just a memory.

Open your mouth. Tell somebody what God did. PREACHING MOMENT Some of you have been on the fence with Jesus your whole life. Tonight that fence comes down. Because the evidence is in.

The case is closed. Jesus of Nazareth is alive — and history cannot shut up about it. Roman senators wrote it down. Jewish rabbis wrote it down. The dirt confirmed it.

The dead bones of His enemies confirmed it. And 500 living witnesses signed their name to it. The resurrection is not your opinion. The resurrection is your inheritance.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 9 POINT 2 Peter Stood Up. [ Slow build. Your leadership point. ] I want you to look at what Peter does in Acts 1.

There are 120 people in the upper room. Waiting. Uncertain. Not knowing what’s coming next. And Peter — the same Peter who denied Jesus three times — The same Peter who ran when they arrested Jesus — The same Peter who went back to fishing after the resurrection — Stood up.

Not because he had all the answers. Not because he felt confident. Not because everything was figured out. He stood up because somebody had to. He stood up because community needs leadership.

He stood up because 120 people needed direction. And Peter — broken, restored, imperfect Peter — was the one. In every season of waiting — there are people around you who need you to stand up. Not because you’re perfect. Not because you have it all together.

But because God put you in the room — and somebody needs to see you refuse to give up. Your story is not just for you. The way you handle your in-between — the way you stay in the room — the way you keep showing up — is giving somebody else permission to do the same thing. “Peter didn’t stand up because he was ready. He stood up because somebody had to.”

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 10 PREACHING MOMENT Who in your life right now needs you to stand up? Who is watching how you handle this season? Your kids are watching.

Your coworkers are watching. Your friends are watching. You standing up in your in-between is a sermon they will never forget. Don’t sit down. Stand up.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 11 POINT 3 They Replaced the Empty Seat. [ Community and commitment point. Turn it up. ] Look at what happens next in Acts 1. Peter stands up and says — we have a problem.

Judas is gone. There’s an empty seat in the twelve. And Jesus said we would be His witnesses. We can’t do that with a hole in our community. So they don’t just grieve the loss.

They don’t let the empty seat define them. They don’t shrink their mission because of what they lost. They replace the seat. They find someone who has been with them from the beginning. Someone who witnessed the resurrection.

Someone ready to carry the mission. And they choose Matthias. But here’s what I want you to see — they prayed first. ACTS 1:24 (ESV) “And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen.’” They didn’t vote by popularity.

They didn’t choose by talent. They prayed and let God choose. And God chose. And the community was complete. And ten days later — Pentecost came.

I believe some of you are sitting in rooms right now with empty seats. Relationships that ended. Friends that walked away. People who were supposed to be in your story but aren’t anymore. And you’ve been trying to do life with those holes.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 12 But God doesn’t leave empty seats empty forever. He has people prepared — people who have witnessed what God has done in your life — people who are ready to fill the seat and carry the mission WITH you. “God doesn’t leave empty seats empty forever. He’s filling them.”

PREACHING MOMENT And for some of you — YOU are the Matthias. You are the one God is sending to fill a seat in somebody else’s story. You are the one who is supposed to show up for someone who’s been carrying things alone. Don’t miss your moment. God is sending you.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 13 THE CLOSE — DECLARATION [ Bring it all down. Quiet. Spirit-led. ] I want to talk to somebody today who has been doing this alone. You’ve been carrying your faith alone.

You’ve been carrying your in-between alone. You’ve been carrying your waiting alone. And you’re tired. Because we were never built for isolation. God didn’t appear to one person after the resurrection.

He appeared to 500. He appeared to groups. He appeared to communities. Because what He was building required ALL of them together. And what He’s building in your life — requires community too.

You need the people in this room. And the people in this room need you. [ Rise slowly. Build to full voice. ] Find your people. Stay together.

Don’t isolate in the waiting. Don’t disappear when things get hard. Don’t let the enemy convince you that you have to carry this alone. Because you don’t. You never did.

We are 500 strong. We saw the same risen Jesus. We carry the same testimony. We are waiting on the same promise. And together — we are going to walk into our Pentecost.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 14 You were not meant to carry this alone. Find your people and stay together.

[ Say the Big Idea. Ask the church to say it with you. Say it again. Lock it in. ]

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 15 ALTAR CALL / RESPONSE MOMENT [ Soft. Spirit-led. Take your time. ] I want to take a moment right now. If you have been doing life alone — if you’ve been carrying things that were never meant to be carried alone — lift your hand right where you are.

And if you’ve never given your life to Jesus — if you’ve never joined the 500 — today is your day. He appeared to them. And He’s appearing to you — right now — in this moment. [ Pause. Honor the moment. ] SALVATION PRAYER PRAY THIS WITH ME “Jesus, I believe You died and rose again. I’m done doing life without You.

I give You my life today. Forgive me. Lead me. I’m Yours. Amen.” PRAYER FOR THE ROOM Father — thank You that we are not alone.

Thank You that You didn’t just appear to one person — You appeared to 500. Thank You that You put us in this room together. Now Lord — fill us. Build us. Send us. Together.

In Jesus’ name. Amen. PRACTICAL APPLICATION — WHAT DO I DO THIS WEEK? 1. Tell somebody your testimony.

This week share with one person what God has done in your life. Don’t keep it private. A testimony shared is a weapon. 2. Stand up in your room.

Who around you needs to see you refuse to give up? Stand up for them this week. 3. Fill a seat. Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.

Be the Matthias in somebody’s story this week. 4. Come back next Sunday. Week 4: Tarry. You don’t want to miss it.

IMAGINE CHURCH USA | NOW WHAT? SERIES — WEEK 3 | APRIL 26, 2026 im.im He Appeared to 500 — Now What? Series, Week 3 Page 16 SERIES ROADMAP — NOW WHAT? | EASTER TO PENTECOST Week 1 | Apr 12 | He’s Alive — Now What? | Acts 1:1–11 Week 2 | Apr 19 | In the Upper Room | Acts 1:12–14 / Luke 24:49 ■ Week 3 | Apr 26 | He Appeared to 500 | 1 Cor 15:1–8 / Acts 1:15–26 ← YOU ARE HERE Week 4 | May 3 | Tarry | Luke 24:49 / Acts 1:4–5 Week 5 | May 10 | 10 Days of Prayer | Acts 1:14 / Matthew 7:7–8 Finale | May 18 | The Room Shook — Pentecost Sunday | Acts 2:1–4 IMAGINE CHURCH USA · im.im · NOW WHAT? SERIES · APRIL–MAY 2026