Resurrection

Resurrection (Part 1) 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 Emmanuel Christian Church 3.17.24 INTRODUCTION: This one fundamental truth will determine the fate of all humanity: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jesus - John 14:6) The “way” to which Jesus referred is nothing less than the “Good News” of the Gospel. Now, the “Good News” only makes sense in light of the “bad news”. That bad news is simple- because of our individual sin, each of us have a date with devil to share in his unending, and justly deserved punishment in hell for having rebelled against our Creator God. Now, the “Good News” is that the “Way” of Jesus is the singular path of escape from that date with the devil. That way is very simple:

  1. Make your choice to submit your will to God’s will. Instead of continuing to head down your own path of personal destruction, turn around right where you are and head toward Him in everything you, think, say and do. - It could simply be summed up in one word: SURRENDER.
  2. Allow yourself to be transformed by His power through your baptism into Jesus. Scripture tells us (Romans 6) that in so doing, God takes us through three spiritual states:
  3. We die to sin. (It no longer has mastery over us.)
  4. We are buried with Christ. (Our old self of sin and rebellion is left in the watery grave.)
  5. We are RESURRECTED with Christ into a new life. (Today’s Point!) PROPOSITION: That’s the simple “Good News” of the Gospel. Now, whether or not any of that is real depends on one singular fact- the RESURRECTION of Jesus. Simply put, there is no “Good News” of the Gospel if there was no resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is “ground zero” for the Gospel. As a matter of fact- remove the resurrection of Jesus and all of Christianity becomes a house of cards falling to the table. In just two short weeks, we will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. As I thought about that, it occurred to me that we often answer the question “What?” (the historical details of that event), but we REALLY need to answer the biggest question “Why?”. Why is the Resurrection of Jesus so important? This week and next, the great Apostle Paul is going to answer that question for us, as he answers it for the Corinthian Christians almost 2,000 years ago. 1 Corinthians 15:12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. IF The Resurrection is a “Hoax”
  • Christ is dead.
  • If Christ was not raised from the dead as He predicted, He was either a liar seeking to mislead, or a lunatic misled by His own delusions. Those are the only two logical options.
  • This conclusion logically leads us to some troubling intellectual consequences
  • Preaching is nothing more than “empty words”.
  • Opinions shared in public, deserving no more attention than countless others.
  • Actually, preaching is worse than “empty words”, because preachers are always trying to get people to do something! Preaching is MANIPULATION of the worst sort!
  • Faith is for fools.
  • Don’t bother keeping the faith!
  • Wake up to the fact that faith is what’s keeping you down!
  • Jesus’ Apostles were liars.
  • Take them off the “heroes” list and number them among the deceived or delusional!
  • Instead of distributing New Testaments scriptures, we ought to be burning them!
  • There is no hope.
  • You are condemned in your sin. (What are you to do with all those guilty feelings? Just do what you did with the resurrection- deny that they ever existed!)
  • All dead Christians go to their worm eaten grave. There is no life beyond this life. The funeral home is the final stop. You’ll never see your loved ones again, there’s no possibility of anything beyond your final breath.
  • Christians are fools to be pitied! APPLICATION: If Jesus is not risen from the dead, then there is no hope. TRANSITION: On the other hand- BECAUSE Jesus HAS RISEN from the dead, all of His words can be fully TRUSTED and they have ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY in our lives. Paul continues in that very thought… 1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. BECAUSE of Christ’s Resurrection:
  • There is a path to UNENDING life.
  • The path that brought us all death was the one Adam chose to walk when he failed to trust God and lead his wife in obedience to God’s simple instruction.
  • The path that brought us life is the one Jesus blazed by His own perfect obedience to God the Father. Listen to the very words of Jesus… John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. Let’s listen again to the Apostle Paul as he restates and expands what he said to the Corinthians regarding the resurrection: 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. There is an order to the Resurrection.
  • Christ first. Check that box! Jesus is alive and well today! But, when He returns…
  • Those who have died in Christ will be the first to be raised from the dead!
  • After that, His followers who are still alive, will experience an instant transformation as their feet leave the ground, and they rise to meet Jesus in mid-air! CONCLUSION: Why is the Resurrection of Jesus so important to you? Because it ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEES our own! However, let me remind you of the words of Jesus we heard just moments ago… John 5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. What will become of YOU in that day? Everyone of us have a date with RESURRECTION destiny. Where we end up will be determined by what we do with the Resurrected Jesus. Rejection of JESUS will result in your condemnation. Embrace of HIM (which leads to life) will require one thing of you- TOTAL surrender to the will of God.